The Beast Within Beauty
by Supreme Distraction
Summary: With the way things are going, Ino Yamanaka feels that she really doesn't have a shot at love. With the way things had gone, Konan Tsuki felt that she should remain single forever. InoxKonan; AU/AR Yuri
1. Prologue

Here we are, ladies and gents: my latest multi-chaptered fic. At _your _request. While I'm hoping this doesn't get as long as _Yearning for Change _was, I can tell this shall be quite lengthy.

As will this author's note =3

Just a few things to clear up:

Vampires **don't** sparkle. If you expect them to, you're in the wrong place. Also, I believe them to be feral creatures wrapped in beautiful features, so you shall be seeing a lot of territory-osity, growling, snarling, scenting, etc. Also, I like the idea of shapeshifting—go figure. My ideas are probably a bit different from yours, but bear with me; they won't be all powerful, but they'll be pretty damn cool ^^

As for the stuffy way Konan speaks: she is centuries old so it's only natural that she speak like a gentleman/woman. My creatures of the night shall act in accordance to what time period they were "born" in and many of them shall resist modernization.

Each chapter shall be named after a song that belongs to the band listed below it. Thank you for understanding that these lyrics are _not _my own.

Also, there're going to be a few subjects I'll be writing about that may or may not offend (I'm expanding my horizons in a way). I'll issue a warning at the beginning of the chapter as to the content so look out for that.

**Disclaimer—**Not only do I not own Naruto, I don't own any of the songs, movies, games, etc that are mentioned here. Shocking, no?

Now that all the technical stuff is over with, Supreme Distraction and co. brings you…

**The Beast Within Beauty**

"_We don't like what we don't understand, in fact it scares us, and this monster is mysterious at least..."_

—The Mob Song; Beauty and the Beast

The building was a threatening presence—dark, silent, and gloomy—looming over those who dared to enter.

Or, it was to Temari Kaze, anyway.

"You spend _way_ too much time here," the sandy-blonde groused, blue-green eyes focused warily on said building in all its beige-walled glory. The sign above the doorway read "Library" in flowing cursive.

"Temari, I come here once a week," her companion and reason for her being anywhere near this place, Ino Yamanaka said, tone distinctively amused.

The older girl gave her closest friend her best you-can't-really-mean-that look. "That's more than you need. Trust me."

Ino just laughed, the automatic doors parting with an audible _'hiss', _the rush of air conditioning towards the balmy outside air causing her long blonde ponytail to dance. "With how lazy you are, Tema, I'm amazed you do so well in school."

She laughed some more when the sandy-blonde hugged her arm, leaned into her, assumed a wounded expression and whined, "That really hurts, Ino. How could you even _begin_ to think that about me?"

Ino rolled her eyes, heading for the back where the desks were located. Temari released her and dragged a chair over,—the wooden legs making an obnoxiously loud screeching sound as she did so—straddling it backwards opposite of her companion. She watched for a moment as Ino began to pull papers out of the messenger bag she had slung over her shoulder.

"What'cha studying?"

"Latin." Clear blue eyes scanned the sheet, reading over the notes that had been written in neat bubble letters.

"Oh, you're taking that this semester? I was thinking I'd try that later. Is it easy?"

"It's certainly interesting," the blonde answered vaguely.

"Interesting shminteresting," Temari scoffed. "That isn't what I asked you, Yamanaka." When Ino didn't say anything, the older girl stared intently. After a beat of silence, she grinned. "Is he hot?"

A single blonde eyebrow rose at that. "How is it that you immediately assume that there's a guy involved?"

Which was the equivalent of a "yes" in Ino—something Temari had become quite fluent in over the years.

"Well, _God_, Ino, if you don't want me interfering with you and this hottie, I won't take the class!"

"But there isn't," Ino began, but decided not to bother. Once the sandy-blonde made up her mind, one was hard pressed to dissuade her.

The truth was, that there _was _a guy—a pale, dark-haired male by the name of Sasuke Uchiha—and he was attractive. But her heart raced when he was around for a totally different reason: fear.

There was just something about the male that made her body tense and her palms sweat.

Maybe she was being paranoid, but she really didn't want her best friend around him.

"Earth to Ino?" Despite the playfulness in her voice, her expression was concerned. "Sorry… I didn't upset you, did I?"

She couldn't help but smile as Temari stared at her chest—as though she could see through the cloth, muscles, flesh, and skin that covered her heart. The older girl was perpetually lighthearted—"A serious Temari is a boring Temari," she had said once—and flirty, so she never failed to warm Ino when she went all worried and gentle.

"I'm fine, Tema. Old ticker's still ticking away." When the sandy-blonde's expression remained uncertain, she made a show of rolling her eyes and groaning in exasperation. "I'm not going to get anything done with you around. Why don't you go read one of those trashy romance novels you're so fond of?"

"They aren't trashy," Temari defended immediately, already rising. "Call me if you need me, babe."

"I will."

"Study hard!" she called, walking backwards amongst the shelves.

"I will."

"Be good!"

She had to raise her voice. "I will!"

"I love you!" Temari's voice could be heard clearly from across the building.

"_Shhhhhh!_" hissed the librarian who had come to investigate the disturbance in the peace.

Ino had to bite her lip to keep from laughing as she turned her attention back to her notes.

~o~

**Amegakure; Big Spooky Castle, 2:00AM**

"The hour is late, even for one of our kind," Sasori murmured, his face a mask of disinterest as he studied well manicured nails.

"Surely we have dawdled here for long enough," Deidara agreed, pushing the long blonde bang that covered the left side of his face (the rest was pulled back into a high ponytail) to reveal what appeared to be a mechanized eye-patch that extended from his ear to the bridge of his nose.

"Be silent," a voice commanded—this one female. "Both of you."

Both males bowed their head as a blue-haired woman dressed as they were—a billowing black cloak that covered the lower half of their faces when zipped all the way up with a rose complete with a stem and thorns in silver wrapped around a crescent moon printed about mid-thigh—emerged from the room they had been waiting in front of, the thick double doors sweeping shut behind her. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, the dozens of candles that replaced light bulbs reflecting dimly off of the polished marble floor and making the tiny stud just under her full bottom lip glitter.

Without another word, she began crossing the room, her booted footsteps echoing loudly in the silence, forcing the two to follow.

"Lady Konan?"

"Not now, Deidara," she said sharply, waving his words away with an impatient flick of her wrist.

Deidara sighed, sharing a knowing look with the red-head.

Her mood—the sharpness and the less than silent gait—could only mean one thing.

"The Vampire Council has approached you on the subject of a Mate once more then?" Cool, level-headed Sasori wasn't one for hesitation, but he'd be damned if the set of the female's shoulders didn't make him wary.

"Correct." That single, disgusted utterance was punctuated by the '_thud' _of the heavy brass handled doors as they opened to allow the trio to exit the entrance hall seemingly of their own accord. Once they were clear, the doors slammed shut. It was drizzling as it usually was in Amegakure.

"And your stand on the matter remains the same," Deidara continued.

She gave him a curt nod, her swift footsteps sending the pebbles that made up the driveway in all directions. "Sasori," she said suddenly, rounding on the male.

If there was any doubt that the bluette was annoyed, it was gone now: cobalt eyes had gone midnight blue, cat-like pupils thinned down to pinpricks.

Sasori started—what could have the normally patient, calm female so worked up? "My Lady?" he responded, taking care to keep the surprise from his voice.

"We shall require blood bags. See to it that the house is stocked."

Blood bags were just as they were called: bags of blood. Normally, their kind Fed directly from humans, but on occasion, they were unable to Hunt or, in some cases, newly Turned vampires refused to drink from the source. Thus, the prettied up version of Feeding was handy.

He inclined his head. "Guests, My Lady?"

Konan's jaw clenched, her eyebrows drawing together minutely as she whirled and resumed storming across the yard. "No. A new housemate."

The males shared another look, this one confused. This was a bad thing?

"New blood for the Coven," Deidara began. "Is that not a good thing?"

"The Council has assigned a Fledgling to my care," Konan bit out. "A _child _vampire. What is it that I have done to deserve this?"

"It is an honour—"

"There are other more capable than I," the bluette growled. "Females who would nurture this creature as if it were their own blood. Make no mistake: this is a punishment for turning down that arrogant, presumptuous cur…!"

It was then that the three came upon horses; a huge, muscular sorrel Clydesdale with white stockings and a star at the center of its forehead, a roan Arabian with a black mane and stockings, and a Friesian that was dwarfed by the two with a pure black coat that looked almost bluish in the muted sunlight.

"I assume you speak of Councilman Hidan?"

"Hidan…" Konan seethed, hissing the name like one would a curse. "He's pursued me for years now with no avail and _still _he persists."

"You must admit: his perseverance is admirable," Deidara joked, hoping to lighten the mood.

His efforts were rewarded with a dark look from the female as she mounted the Friesian and took up the reigns. "_Nothing _about that male is worth commendation. I would… I would rather Mate a human," she added, tone derisive. "My fondest wish is that he burns in Hell for all of eternity."

"Harsh words," Sasori chuckled, mounting his Clydesdale. The beast was easily twenty hands.

The blonde hesitated, however, reaching up to stroke the Arabian's forelock. "Perhaps the Council members prove a point," he said slowly.

"What do you mean?" Konan asked, face a mask of calm despite the challenge in her tone.

"You are at prime Mating age, you lead your own Coven, and are of Aristocrat blood," Deidara elaborated. "Blue blood—the highest class among our own. You could have a line of suitors and yet—"

"I want none of it." Deep blue eyes became hazy as though she was seeing something beyond her surroundings for all of four seconds. Then, they snapped back into focus, hardening. "I have tried to take a Mate before—" She paused. "Never again. I've no wish to settle down; I have my Coven—my brothers in arms—and that is all I require."

"Situations change, Lady Konan," Sasori chided, sensing the sadness that the bluette couldn't hide completely.

"The living change all the quicker," the female replied, spurring her horse into a canter.

The males traded yet another look as she drew out of sight.

It appeared they would have to take matters into their own hands before the Council decided that asking nicely wasn't going to work.

**And so it begins…**


	2. This is an Introduction

_Excuse me, I'd like to introduce me—_

_Explain me, the best that I can. _

_..._

_It's hard for people to get close to me when I'm so distant._

—Broken Spindles

—**This is an Introduction—**

"It's nice to see you again, Miss Yamanaka," Doctor Noubu said, reaching forward to shake the blonde's hand. He was an older man—graying, balding and wrinkled around his mouth and eyes from smiling and laughing. He was wearing a white lab-coat type getup.

_His hand's cold, _Ino noted idly, nodding in return rather than speaking as she accepted the gesture. _Just like everything else in here._

It was your typical doctor's office: frigid, metal, and sterile. The bed she sat on was covered in a white paper sheet that crinkled with every slight motion and the air condition was set to snow-in-the-middle-of-summer.

She really hated coming here.

Ino stared down at her feet as the man began to look over the clipboard he had come in with. He frowned thoughtfully before fixing his dark gaze on the young woman. "How have you been feeling, Miss Yamanaka? Any pain or shortness of breath?"

"Not lately," she said to her feet. They were bare, the nails painted a cool blue; her flip-flops were on the cold tiles below.

"Hmm… Well, we're going to take a blood test just to be sure, okay?"

She looked up at that. "_Another _blood test, you mean," she murmured.

The man smiled weakly, unnerved by her lack of expression. It was almost as though she didn't particularly care about what was going on.

"_Another_ blood test," he agreed. He took the stethoscope from around his neck and put the ear buds in his ears. "A deep breath for me, please, Miss Yamanaka."

* * *

Ino couldn't help but smile as Temari hovered over the nurse like an overprotective mother. She kept asking questions in a sharp, no-nonsense tone that made the woman shift nervously and it was really quite entertaining. Ino herself was reclined on a chair-bed hybrid, as were several other people in the room who were getting their blood drawn.

"Just how much blood do ya _need_!" the sandy-blonde asked incredulously, her volume catching the attention of the room's other occupants.

"Please, Miss Kaze, this is a hospital…!" the brunette hissed. By now, the entire staff knew who Temari was, only because the young woman always created a ruckus. She wouldn't ask Temari to leave the room, however, because Ino became stony and virtually unresponsive whenever her best friend wasn't around. "Keep your voice down!"

Temari arched an eyebrow imperiously and the nurse braced herself for a verbal lashing—

"Tema…" Ino said quietly. Instantly, the sandy-blonde backed down, the tiredness in Ino's tone setting off little red flags in her mind.

The nurse tried not to smirk victoriously—she _was _the older more mature one here after all! That didn't stop her from shooting Temari a smug look.

"What do you want for dinner tonight, Ino?" the taller of the two blonde's asked, flinching as the needle was pulled from the blue vein that ran under pale skin. A dot of blood escaped before the bandage could be placed and, for some reason, the dark red colour just looked… _wrong_ against her otherwise unmarked flesh.

"I'm not hungry," Ino sighed. "Take me home?"

Who was Temari to deny her best friend anything?

"You've gotta eat _something_, kiddo," the sandy-blonde insisted once they were pulling out of the parking lot. The sun had been high in the sky when they had arrived and now part of it was hidden by the horizon—they had spent all day there. As though agreeing with her, Temari's stomach gave a low rumble. "And your dad wants you to call him."

Ino merely groaned.

They drove in silence for a moment before Ino sighed heavily. "Tema?"

"Yeah?"

"… How long do you think I have left?"

The car swerved with the painful squeal of rubber on asphalt and several horns blared.

Bad news, a punch in the gut…just because you were expecting something didn't make it easier to accept or bear. Temari knew this from experience.

That being said, she _still_ wasn't accustomed to Ino's bouts of melancholy despite the fact that they always occurred after a long day at the doctor's office and she didn't think she'd ever be; she _still_ couldn't find it in her to shake off that truly depressing question despite the knowledge that it was exhaustion and frustration speaking, not the usually cheery blonde.

As it was, she could only pin Ino with a sharp look as she righted the vehicle and growled, "Don't let me hear you talk like that, Yamanaka. You're going to be fine—got that?"

She just _had _to be fine because a world without Ino would be a bleak place indeed.

"Yeah… I got it," she responded unconvincingly, more to appease Temari than anything. She really hated upsetting the sandy-blonde but…

Well, they had to stop dodging around the rhinoceros in the living room, so to speak: there would be a day when Ino's heart finally gave up on its futile attempts to keep the blonde alive and Temari was going to have to accept that.

"What'd my dad say?" the girl asked, knowing a subject change was in order.

"That I'm a crappy secretary and that you need to get your butt home and visit every once in a while." Her tone was amused. "I think he's getting lonely."

Ino laughed. "You have my phone?" They weren't allowed in or about the MRI machine.

"Yup. Right here."

Upon receiving the device (a blue Samsung Impression TM), the blonde scrolled through her contacts and hit the green 'talk' key, switching it to speaker.

He picked up second ring. "_I do hope this is my daughter and not her incapable secretary,"_ Inoichi Yamanaka growled good-naturedly. _"Because I'm beginning to think that Temari likes the sound of my voice."_

"As if!" Temari scoffed. "I'm just trying to protect Ino from having to deal with you."

"_You wound me,"_ the man sighed and Ino could tell he was holding his hand over his heart dramatically. _"After all, it was _I _who had to deal with you when you were just the spoiled brat that followed my daughter around. Oh wait… that hasn't changed, has it?"_

"Glad to see you kids are getting along," Ino interrupted before a verbal brawl could break out. "Hi, Dad."

"_Ah, my beautiful flower," _Inoichi greeted, tone delighted. The nickname—her father loved flowers and made a living from selling them—made Ino smile. _"When exactly do you plan on visiting?"_

_Straight to the point as ever_, Ino sighed inwardly. "I've got some free time coming up soon, Dad. I'll see you then."

"_Promises, promises," _he grumbled. _"How was the doctor's visit?"_

"Same as always. More tests, no solutions." Blue eyes flicked to the window: they were pulling intothe parking lot of_ Akimichi's: Bar and Grill_. "And, now, Temari's trying to seduce me by buying me dinner."

"And, if that doesn't work, there's liquor here too!" the sandy blonde cackled.

"I think you've been spending too much time with Anko," Ino remarked.

"_So you're finally coming out of the closet?"_

Ino blushed deeply as Temari started laughing. "What do you mean '_finally'_?"

"_I just thought you and Temari would eventually hook up." _He was smirking, damnit—she could hear it in his voice! _"You've always been so close."_

"Mmm… _very_ close," Temari purred, her voice taking on a huskiness that knocked most people—male or female—off of their feet. And Ino was no exception though she'd never admit it. "Sadly, Ino here is too busy making kissy faces at her boy-toy to deal with me."

"_Ah, yes. Shikamaru." _It was plain by his tone that he didn't approve. Then again, Inoichi had found fault in _all _of Ino's past partners so she had learned to ignore it. _"How is he?"_

"Are you just being polite or do you actually care?"

"_Of course I care about whether or not that young man is debasing the most precious of my flowers."_

"_Dad…_!"

Inoichi cleared his throat. _"I do hope you're using protection."_

"We're not having sex, Dad," Ino groaned. She gave Temari, who looked as though she was about to pass out from holding in her laughter, a dark look.

"_Good! I'll leave the two of you to your dinner. Love you."_

"I love you, too."

As she hung up, Temari lost it, her laughter long and loud. It was a good thing she had parked or they would have run off the road. "God," she breathed when she was finally able to speak. "And I thought my brothers were bad?"

The Kaze brothers, Gaara and Kankuro, were super-protective of their little sister. Unfortunately, they didn't have _anything _on the eldest Yamanaka.

"Can we just eat dinner?" Ino groaned. "I'd like to wipe that awkward conversation from my mind."

* * *

No… she _still _hadn't had sex with Shikamaru.

Why was that?

Sure, people around the school (would they ever leave their high school habits behind?) constantly questioned how a lazy braniac like Shikamaru Nara had hooked up with a beautiful blonde bombshell like Ino Yamanaka, but unlike them, she knew what the male was really like underneath all those sighs of "troublesome" and blank "what do _you_ want" stares.

So after a year and a half of their dating, why hadn't she given it up?

Fear—plain and simple.

And it wasn't a conscious fear either: the girl just… locked up when things got more intimate than making-out. Every. Single. Time.

That little feature had driven off a good deal of her past partners, but not Shikamaru.

Not yet.

* * *

Ino pressed a hand to her mouth, futilely attempting to stifle the fit of laughter that was working its way out of her.

Meanwhile, Temari was sitting on top of a lithe red-head, her expression distinctly smug.

"Get off of me, you bitch!" Tayuya growled, chestnut orbs blazing as she struggled all the harder.

"I can see how you wow all the ladies—you have such a charming way with words."

"_Fuck_ you."

"Honestly, you're not my type."

"Get… off!"

"I really wish you'd stop propositioning me like that, Uta. I mean, come on, we've been friends for such a short time and sex will only make things awkward. I don't want to lose—"

"What's going on here?" a male voice questioned lazily. "_Another _fight, Miss Kaze?"

Instantly, both young women were on their feet and standing a suitable distance from each other. The speaker, an older man with mane of white hair, grinned at the girls and Ino shuddered in revulsion.

_His lech senses probably went off, alerting him of innuendo at up to six yards away… _The mental image of the man scenting the air as he padded down a corridor, his body stiff like a bloodhound that'd found a fresh trail filled her mind's eye and she couldn't say if she was more amused or disturbed.

Jiraiya Sannin was the worst kind of pervert and how he had gotten a job as head of an _all girls _dormitory was a mystery to everyone including, Ino suspected, the very people who had hired him.

"Nothin's up, Mr. Sannin," Tayuya grunted. "Just a friendly argument is all." She gave Temari a glare that said "we'll finish this later" before turning on her heels and continuing on her way to her room.

"Sweet dreams, honey!" Temari called after her, earning the bird.

"Off to bed, ladies. It's getting late," Jiraiya commanded, disappearing now that the excitement was over.

"I wish you'd stop baiting her like that," Ino commented, heading towards their shared room.

"Her fault for being such an easy target," Temari scoffed, fishing her key out of her pocket.

"Only you would think it was a good idea to 'target' as you call it, Tayuya Uta." They stepped inside, Ino heading straight for the bathroom to brush her teeth. "I mean, even back in high school everyone gave her room."

"That's 'cause people _think _she's a vicious killer." Temari's voice was muffled. "But I know she's really a big ol' teddy bear."

Ino spit into the sink and swished water, spitting that out too. "Mmm… A teddy bear that will someday make you rue ever messing it."

"O ye of little faith."

The blonde froze as she spotted her best friend's bare back: the smooth skin was marred by a single diagonal slash. While it wasn't deep, it looked as though it had hurt. Crossing the room over to where their beds (twin sized so that two could fit in the medium-sized room) sat a few feet apart, Ino reached out and stroked her hand over the scar. "I'm sorry."

Temari went very still. "About?"

"Where to begin?" she chuckled. And, though her tone implied that she was joking, Temari knew she was being completely serious. "Anyway, time to hit the sack."

"Ino…"

"G'night!"

Temari hesitated before completing the job of drawing her shirt over her head. Getting into her own bed and settling in, she clapped twice, causing the lights to flick off.

"Good night, Ino."

~o~

**Konohagakure; Tsuki Manor, 12:00AM **

With a population of a thousand or two, Konoha wasn't a very big city. It was mainly suburbs and if one were to separate it into three rings, they would see that most businesses were located in the center-most ring, recreation and schools in the middle, and the larger plots of land used for farming in the outer-most; houses were sprinkled periodically throughout each ring.

Said houses ranged from three stories to one—bachelor pads to humble family abodes—but they had one thing in common: the walls were bright, rich colours, the yards well maintained, and the people friendly.

Which, of course, meant there had to be one home—one home_owner_—that didn't quite fit that bill.

Or, rather, a homeowner and her housemates.

The house—if one could call it that—located at 3754 Phoenix Flower Rd had an immaculate yard, yes, but there was nothing friendly about the building itself. Gray, stone walls made up the outside of the house, arches, spires, and buttresses making it more castle-like than anything. Grotesque stone creatures—gargoyles—were dotted along the roof as well as along the perimeter of the fountain in the front yard that split the cobblestone driveway into two paths—one leading up to the house and another beyond it to God knew where.

"Creepy" had been used to describe it just as often as "beautiful" or "magnificent" had.

If one were to venture inside (not that anyone beyond its residents did), they would be greeted by an entrance hall with plush red and gold carpeting and torches mounted on the walls, a grand staircase leading to the upper floors and a hallway leading to the right and to the left.

Konan was in the process of descending said staircase, a black silk robe wrapped around her lithe form. The beginnings of Hunger that had been stirring in her stomach hit her full force as she noticed the presence of another in the entrance hall and her temper flared.

A figure with a dark cloak stood there, the hood pulled up to obscure its features.

She would recognize that scent anywhere.

"Councilman Hidan," Konan greeted, proud to note that none of her ire was reflected in her voice. "What brings you to my home?"

When the male didn't respond, she frowned slightly. Hadn't he heard her?

"My lord?" Upon taking another step closer, the female caught another scent and she paused, tilting her head curiously. "You aren't the Councilman."

"No." The voice was a raspy whisper.

"And yet, you smell of him." The bluette padded closer, intrigued.

"Yes." This time, Konan could tell that the voice was female.

"Identify yourself. From which Coven do you hail?" There was a whisper of fabric as the female reached into the folds of her cloak and procured a pristine white scroll. Wordlessly, she handed it to Konan.

_Tsuki Coven head Konan Tsuki—fifth in line and pure of blood,_

_This Fledgling is to be taken into your Coven. We trust that your instruction will be impeccable._

And that was all. No signature, no other mark on the otherwise blank paper.

"Wonderful," Konan muttered, sparing the indistinct figure another glance. "Your name?"

* * *

"Sakura Haruno."

* * *

Ino looked up. "Huh?"

Temari fidgeted, spinning around restlessly in the computer chair. "Sakura Haruno," she repeated. "You know, about yay high" –she leveled her hand, palm down a few inches above her head- "Pink hair, green eyes, slim—real cute?"

"Who?"

The sandy-blonde looked over at her as though she had grown a third eye. "Umm.. _hello_? Where've ya been, Ino? She enrolled late and is in, like, all of your classes!"

Ino shrugged. "I've been focused on mid-terms. And, while it's unusual for anyone to join this late in the course—"

"I heard she's super smart."

"She must be if she expects to catch up." That being said, the blonde turned back to her notes, frowning in confusion at the messy scribbles—had she really written that? "You mind handing me the binder next to you?"

Before the thick, paper-filled binder could make it to Ino's hands, however, there was a sharp knock on the door.

"You expecting company?" Ino asked.

"No..?" The sandy-blonde rose and padded over to the door, her expression curious. "Who could—Mr. Sannin, what a… pleasant surprise."

_Sannin? What's he doing here so early?_

"Pack your things, Miss Kaze," the man said without any sort of acknowledgement that she had spoken. "You're being relocated."

"_What?_" both blondes exclaimed simultaneously.

After which "Why?" and "What'd I do?" were demanded in the same instant.

"Just gather your things," Jiraiya insisted, glancing between the girl and the doorway. "You have two hours."

Then, he was gone.

"What the heck?" Temari threw up her hands. "He can't just walk in and do that?"

"Actually, he can," Ino said somberly. "He's dorm master… I guess someone else is rooming with me?"

The sandy-blonde's nostrils flared. "But he has to have a reason…!"

"Hmm… could be because you're an annoying bitch." Both girls' attention shot to the doorway where Tayuya was leaning against the wall opposite the opening. She was grinning. "Didn't I tell you I'd get you back? Our dorm has a strict no-bullying policy, Kaze, and, well… You're quite the bully." She held a hand over her heart, grin growing wider. "I mean, students such as myself can't contend with peer pressure _and _focus on the curriculum."

Temari took a threatening step forward. "I'll kill you…!"

"Ooh, a fight? Go ahead—dig yourself a hole." That made the taller girl go still. "You're smarter than you look," the red-head commented. "Good for you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to class. Later, Ino."

"I told you she'd get you back…" Ino sighed once the girl had left, giving her best friend a steady look. "Didn't I?"

Temari hung her head. "With your luck, you'll get Satan's Favourite Red-head."

"Don't worry," Ino soothed. "I'm sure it'll work out for the best in the end."

Temari simply groaned and moved to pack her things.

**-End Chapter-**

Let me know what you think—review, review, review~


	3. The Hunger

Holy shit... My PC is back. School allowing, expect upates !

_We are the Children_

_The Hungry children_

_We become_

_Blood quench the Hunger_

_You want it, you need it_

_Blood quench the Hunger_

—Misfits

—**The Hunger—**

"Fledglings are nearly as powerful as Elders: it is a defense mechanism of our species to ensure that Fledglings survive until they are 'of age' in our Society."

"Of age?"

"The age at which your full potential is achieved and you are allowed to leave this Coven to pursue others or, perhaps, your own." Sasori sighed. "Because of that strength, however, the Fledglings that do not receive the proper teachings go mad with power and lust for blood, causing trouble for the Society as a whole." He cast a stern look at the Fledgling before him. "These are called Rogues. They are to be slayed without quarter."

She blinked. "Rogues?"

"Yes. Do not give into your Hunger, young one. There are rules we must abide by and they dictate that we cannot slaughter humans—no matter how hapless… or enticing."

"Enticing?"

"The more appealing the human—whether by scent or appearance—the stronger Hunger's pull. You would be wise to stay clear of such a human should you ever discover one."

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Lady Konan will teach you how to use _compulsion _as well as the myriad other talents our kind employs, I will educate you on the rules laid down by the Council that govern our race, and Deidara will show you ways to properly defend yourself."

"_Compulsion_?"

"An absolutely necessary tool for survival. You can force your will upon the mind of one who is weaker than yourself. Come: we will talk at length during your tour. Welcome to your new home."

~o~

"Ino," Shikamaru greeted, a rare smile gracing his features as he stood, pulling out a chair for his girlfriend. "You look great."

He was either oblivious to or politely ignoring how pale and drawn she was.

They ate mostly in silence, the atmosphere pleasantly filled with the gentle music and the murmuring of other diners. Well, Shikamaru ate. Ino just pushed her food around listlessly, a faint pounding starting up in her skull.

"How are your classes?" Shikamaru asked finally, signaling to the waiter for the bill.

She shrugged. "Okay, I guess. Temari got kicked out of the dorm last night."

He arched an eyebrow. "What'd she do this time?"

"Nothing!" was the instant, defensive reply. He held up his hands in a placating manner—he should have known better than to accuse Temari of doing wrong. The girls were inseparable. "She and Tayuya just…"

"Just?" he prompted. He had heard of the 'red-head from Hell' several times before during some of Temari's ranting and couldn't help but wonder just how bad this girl was.

"They don't get along so well," she sighed at last. "I don't know… I get along with the both of them just fine, but when they're together…" Here, she made a rude gesture and rolled her eyes and Shikamaru had to smile again, affection for the blonde filling him. He didn't know how she did it, but she was very good at making him smile.

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said sincerely. "Maybe you should just lock them in a room and let them fight it out?"

It was raining outside. The brunette pulled his girlfriend to him and opened his umbrella above their heads, feeling that swell of affection once more when she clutched the front of his shirt, burying her face in his neck.

"_Temari_. You want me to lock _Temari _in a room with someone?"

He chuckled. "Good point."

They walked in that fashion to Shikamaru's pickup, avoiding puddles and exchanging quiet words as they went. Finally, once they were safe from the light downpour, Shikamaru turned to Ino, dark eyes searching. "You don't feel well," he said at last.

"No, no—I'm fine," she said immediately, forcing a smile.

"Ino," he began, sighing. _Troublesome. _"I know you feel bad about us not seeing each other, but it can't be helped. If you don't feel well—"

"You're beginning to sound like Temari," she cut in, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm fine, Shika."

"Speaking of Temari, she'll kill me if I take you anywhere while you aren't one hundred percent."

"I haven't been 'one hundred percent' in a while, Shika," Ino mumbled, suddenly feeling very tired. "I… Fine. Take me home."

He started the car without another word.

* * *

"Hey, kiddo—back so soon?" Temari commented, glancing up from the "trashy romance novel" propped up against her legs. She was sitting on an overstuffed lounge chair in the dorm common room; her feet slung over one of the arms and her back against the other so that her book received full exposure from the reading lamp on the nightstand behind her.

She was standing in the next instant, crossing the room to support her best friend as she stumbled.

"I'm okay," the blonde protested, leaning on Temari heavily nonetheless.

"Like Hell you are. Your chest hurts?"

Ino shook her head, allowing Temari to muscle her into the seat she had just vacated. "Just a little nauseated."

"How many fingers?"

"Three."

"Heart beating fast?"

"A little."

"Sit tight a minute, I'll get you something to drink."

The moment the sandy-blonde had bustled out of the room, Ino's stomach clenched mightily and she groaned, eyelids fluttering shut.

_I'm going to puke, I'm going to puke, I'm going to—_

A cool hand rested against her cheek, a gentle voice saying, "Hey, are you alright?"

She started, blue orbs opening to meet bright green ones. Suddenly, she felt better.

The speaker loomed over her, hair the colour of cotton candy framing her heart shaped face. She was close enough that it should have been uncomfortable, but for some reason, Ino didn't mind the proximity; this close she could see narrowed pupils and the way her iris was darker all around where it met the sclera.

It gave her an unsettlingly predatory gaze.

"Ummm…" Ino responded, mentally kicking herself for being such a space-case.

"Ino-babe, did you want water or—" For an absurd moment, Ino thought she saw an ugly look cross over the pinkette's face as she glanced over at Temari. It must have been a trick of the light though because that pleasant quirk of the edges of pink lips was firmly in place as the two locked gazes. "—Oh… Hello."

"Good evening."

There was a tension filled pause, both girls sizing each other up.

Finally, Temari resumed her trek over, offering Ino a bottle of water, smiling when the girl downed it quickly. She turned her eyes towards the pink-haired interloper, frowning slightly as she made no move to remove herself from Ino's personal space. "You're Sakura Haruno, aren't you?"

"Guilty as charged." There was a gentle lilt to her voice that made one want to listen to her. Temari had been right: how had Ino managed to miss this young woman? "And you are?"

"Temari—Temari Kaze."

"Charmed." She tilted her head to regard the reclining blonde, smile widening. "And you, lovely girl? What is your name?"

Ino felt her face heat as those odd, intriguing eyes fixed their full attention upon her "I-Ino—"What in the—stuttering? She cleared her throat, continuing in a steadier voice, "Ino Yamanaka."

Sakura's face lit up. "Oh! _You're_ to be my new roommate."

Ino saw the way Temari's eyebrows drew together and knew the sandy-blonde was gearing up for a verbal assault. Quickly, she intervened with, "Tema, could you help me up to my room? I'm still a little unsteady."

"Nonsense," Sakura declared, waving the shorter girl away. She slipped an arm around Ino's shoulders as though they were long time friends rather than first time acquaintances and, with surprising strength, helped her to her feet. "We share a room—it would only make sense if it was I who assisted you."

With that, the two departed, Ino casting an apologetic glance at a bemused Temari.

* * *

Ino was asleep by the time Sakura, who had seen her to bed and fled saying she needed to take care of some things, returned.

_Thank God… I never thought it would be this hard. _Seeing as she had been around vampires and only vampires for the past week, it was a shock being hit by the combined scents of so much warm blood flowing—rushing, coursing—through human veins.

She had thought that her sudden Hunger (and reason for leaving the girl so abruptly) had been due to her inexperience with such things; earlier, she had been hard pressed not to lean in even closer and bury her face in the girl's throat, taking in that delicious scent and listening to the rush of blood before biting—

The pinkette rubbed nervously at her mouth, banishing the vivid images that filled her mind.

It had been a good thing that other girl—Temari—had shown up, breaking Sakura out of the trance she had fallen into. Things might have ended rather badly. So, she had left and Fed until the sharp spike of Hunger vanished completely before returning.

She rubbed at her mouth again, remembering the way the human—a blonde by pure coincidence—had felt against her lips and the rush of pleasure as blood pooled into her mouth, silent as a shadow as she crossed the room.

Still Ino awoke, murmuring, "Who's there?"

The lamp on the stand next to her bed flicked on and Sakura took a step back, studiously avoiding proper illumination.

With her hair all mussed and her clothing rumpled, the blonde looked… vulnerable. Sakura bit her lip. She looked positively _edible._

"No cause for alarm—it's just me." Which was far from the truth. It _was _a cause for alarm because the pinkette very much wanted to…

Her Hunger came back full force and she took another step backwards, confused. How was she still Hungry?

Ino blinked, sleepiness leaving her as she registered a low rumbling. "Do you hear that?"

The pinkette bit down harder and tasted her own blood. The smell of it helped to mask the womanly scent of the girl on the bed before her. "You should go back to sleep," she suggested, disregarding the question.

How would she answer?

"_Yes, that would be me. I really like your scent—it makes my instincts burn with Hunger. May I sample your blood?"_?

Not very likely.

"Where were you?" Ino asked curiously, struggling into a better sitting position.

Sakura closed her eyes as the motion sent a wave of the blonde's scent towards her. Obviously, her reaction earlier hadn't due to the fact that she was human. "**Sleep**," she rasped, resorting to _compulsion _in her panic.

And the girl slept.

"_You would be wise to stay clear of such a human should you ever discover one." _

Just her luck…!

* * *

"How's it going, Yamanaka?"

Ino shrugged and made a noncommittal sound. "Same old, same old. What about you, Uta?"

"Swamped, actually." She fell into a chair and, sure enough, Ino could make out the dark circles under her eyes. "'Exhausted' doesn't even begin to cover it. How's the roomie working out for you?"

The blonde blinked. "She keeps weird hours, but she's nice enough." _Actually_, Ino thought, _there are quite a few things that are strange about that girl._ It had been a week and the two had become fast friends."And, wow, does she have great clothes and stuff." Blues eyes sparkled. "She comes from a rich family so she's got all sorts of Michael Kors and Jimmy Choos and Gucci and—What?" she asked, noticing the amused curve of the red-head's lips.

"You're so animated when you talk about all that girly shit," Tayuya observed. "It's kinda cute."

Ino made a disgruntled sound. "Yeah, whatever. I'll shut up now."

"No, no—do go on! I'm fascinated." When Ino simply shook her head, the red-head grinned. "So where's your blonde friend?"

"We're in the library," she pointed out as though that explained everything. And, actually, it did: Temari hatedstudying with a passion."

"Usually, she braves her fear of studying to act as your guard-dog," was the sardonic response. "I'm surprised she hasn't barged in here saying something like—"

"Don't buy whatever she's selling, Ino."

"—that."

"Oh, my heart sings with joy," Tayuya dead-panned. "Good to see you, Kaze."

"I can't say the same," Temari returned, plopping down in a chair next to Ino. "In fact, my heart would sing if you, say, _vacated the premises_."

"I was just about to go," Tayuya said sweetly. "The air just grew stagnant and I fear I shall swoon." For some reason, the way she spoke reminded Ino of Sakura and the way her words were unusually formal. "Later, Ino."

The blonde waved weakly as the younger girl left, turning her reproachful gaze upon her remaining companion. "Can't you two get along?"

"Of course we 'can'. That doesn't mean we _will_."

~o~

"At ease! You cannot properly fight if you are tense and nervous."

_Clank! Crack!_

"Very good. Now, defend!"

_Crack! Shik…_

"Not quickly enough," Deidara said disapprovingly.

"Well, it's a bit hard seeing as you have a longer blade!" Sakura snapped. She barely managed to catch his next blow, arm shaking from the force of it.

"It seems you can brandish your blade competently despite your complaints," he said smugly. "Still your tongue—I know what it is I strive to teach you." When he kicked out at her, she wasn't prepared for it and was sent reeling. "On the field of battle, one must be prepared for anything sent their way," he continued. He raised his sword. "En guard!"

"When will I _ever_ need to use a sword!" the pinkette demanded, taking a quick step backwards. He hadn't even given her instruction, telling her she would learn best from _doing._ "Humans have moved on to guns and—"

Deidara twisted his wrist, disarming her in that fluid motion. In the next instant, the blade end of the sword was pressed against her throat. She gasped as she felt a warm rivulet of blood run down her skin. "Foolish girl," the blonde murmured. "Our way is one that has been for centuries. Do not question it."

Then, he helped her up.

~o~

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Sakura asked quietly, snatching the book Ino had been drooping over.

"Wha…? Oh!" She shook her head, trying and failing to remove the sleepiness she was feeling. "It isn't that late…"

"You're right," was the even response. "It isn't late, it's early."

She was being lifted again and, without thinking, she looped her arms around Sakura's neck. The pinkette stiffened, once again alarmed by the intense urge to bite.

She froze, instinct warring against common sense.

"_You would be wise to stay clear of such a human should you ever discover one," _Sasori's voice reminded her in the back of her mind.

'_You can do this,' _the part of her that still believed her to be human assured her stubbornly. It was Sakura who had insisted that she finish school like a normal person before her Coven spirited her away, never to be seen again in such a mundane place.

She desperately (and probably foolishly) wanted to cling to whatever humanness she had left.

"Sorry," Ino mumbled, thinking she had squeezed too hard.

"No need, to apologize," Sakura replied, her voice a few notes from husky.

If the blonde picked up on it, she didn't say anything. Instead, she asked, "Are you always this nice to girls you've recently met?"

"You're the first," the pinkette responded, cursing her honesty even as the words left her mouth.

Ino blinked. "Why?"

"I don't know," she said honestly. "I just… am."

She set Ino down, and froze: she was so close to the girl's neck she could hear the blood rushing through her jugular. Before she could help herself, the pinkette was stumbling forward, burying her face in the blonde's throat.

She inhaled deeply, eyelashes fluttering._ Gods… _The smell…!

Releasing a near-inaudible hiss, she ripped herself away, staggering backwards in her haste to put some distance between them. "Sorry." It came out strained.

Ino's eyes were wide. "Umm… Don't worry about it. Are you… okay? You're shaking."

"Fine." Her pupils narrowed into pinpricks, fangs dropping. _Shit… _"I just… I need to…"

Ino was rising, moving towards her. "Sakura? Sakura!"

Air. She needed fresh, Ino-free air.

Clamping her hand over her mouth and nose, the pinkette wheeled, yanked the door open, and made a run for it.

~o~

Ino stared at the far wall, trying to piece together a mystery.

She hadn't seen Sakura in a few days now—word was that the pinkette was sick at home.

Ino stared at the far wall… or, more accurately, at the _hole _in the far wall. Sakura had made it with the door in her haste to leave the room.

She was pretty sure the thing consisted of solid concrete.

Shifting, the blonde turned her attention to the window: campus was drenched, students darting from building to building and ducking under awnings to take advantage of the meager protection they offered from the elements.

What exactly had happened three nights ago?

Sakura had been on-edge. She had seemed fine before that though… Only when she had touched Ino had she become tense and twitchy.

And there was the moment when she had stumbled: Ino could have sworn she heard a sharp intake of breath before the taller girl was reeling as though she had been struck.

What had caused that sudden, violent reaction? Frowning slightly in thought, Ino fell onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. What on earth had happened?

Was it her?

She hated upsetting people—it always seemed to happen.

Had _she _done something wrong?

~o~

Konan's expression was distinctly unimpressed when she opened the door (very, very) early Saturday morning to find a dripping, about-to-fall-over-from-exhaustion Sakura. The bluette didn't even step aside, choosing instead to pin the younger vampire with a steady look. "I had thought you weren't to return and we'd have to hunt you like some misbegotten beast."

Sakura trembled, partially because she was chilled to the bone, partially because this female was one of the most intimidating ones she had met.

And she had been to the Vampire Council stronghold before this.

"I… ran into some trouble."

"And you fled, taking your baser instincts with you," Konan completed, an all-too knowing light in her eyes. "What have you done?"

"May I come inside first?" Annoyance touched her tone.

The Coven leader seemed to consider this for a moment before stepping back and allowing her entrance.

When the double doors shut, a strong hand resting at the base of her neck and pushing her further in, making her feel as though she was a young, troublesome animal being corrected. "You've missed your lessons. You will have to work doubly hard."

Sakura managed to catch herself before a groan escaped her. "Yes ma'am."

"Sasori."

"My lady?" the red-head questioned, stepping out of the shadows as though it was completely normal. Sakura started, still unaccustomed to the soundless way her housemates moved about.

"Fetch the girl a towel and dry clothes. We retreat to the Study."

Without waiting for his response, she was gliding away, guiding Sakura with that firm, unbreakable grip.

**-End Chapter-**

Distraction is back!


	4. Wrong

_There's something wrong with me chemically_

_Something wrong with me inherently_

_The wrong mix in the wrong genes _

—Depeche Mode

—**Wrong—**

"Sakura!"

The pinkette froze mid-step and turned, looking for all the world as though she had been caught doing something terribly embarrassing and fervently wished the ground would open up and swallow her. When the blonde drew even with her, her expression became pained. "Ino… Hello." Green eyes darted nervously away—anywhere but the other girl. "Can I help you?"

"'Can I help you'? she repeated incredulously, thinking that that was an odd question. "You've been missing for three days; are you okay?"

"Fine." But she didn't look fine: she was pale and her eyes kept darting about as though she was forcing herself to remain stationary.

"Are you on drugs or something?" Ino asked, not one to beat around the bush. Something was very obviously wrong with the pinkette and, as her roommate, she thought it her responsibility to find out what.

Sakura laughed, some of the tension draining from her. "Oh, I wish it were that simple," she muttered, more to herself than anything. Louder, she added, "I'm fine, Ino. Thank you for asking. Now, if you'll excuse me—"

She gasped when Ino reached out and grabbed her hand, keeping her in place. The girl had never reached for her before and the action was perceived by the fledgling's more feral instincts as aggressive; instantly, her hackles were raised, a low, threatening rumble bubbling out of her throat.

"Please tell me what's going on," Ino entreated. "I'll leave you alone."

Her tone and actions didn't add up: one was aggressive, one was submissive. In her current frame of mind, Sakura was completely thrown off. "Let go of me. Please."

"No." There it was again: that assertiveness. Part of the pinkette wanted to submit and the other…

The other wanted her to show this human exactly who was boss; wanted Sakura to bury her fangs in Ino's throat and drain her dry while she writhed and moaned beneath her.

_Gods…! _Temples pulsating, Sakura pulled out of Ino's grip and backed away slowly, as if from a savage animal. "I have to go."

Ino looked sad. "So you're going to run away again."

Something about her tone pulled at the pinkette's heart strings and she paused, hovering in her indecision. She genuinely liked the blonde, but… It was just too dangerous to remain.

"We'll talk later." Goddamn her brain and the lack of a filter between it and her mouth!

Ino's dazzling smile was worth it though. "Promise?"

"… Promise."

She was doomed.

~o~

Ino's eyes fluttered shut, her breathing evening out.

She was going to fall asleep.

Ino forced her eyes open, stubbornly shaking her head in an attempt to rouse herself.

She didn't _want _to fall asleep.

A soft sound alerted her to the presence of another and her eyes darted towards its origin: Sakura had returned and was standing in the doorway.

She dragged her hand through pink hair, smiling slightly. "Good evening."

"Hey," Ino returned. "You came back."

The door closed with a creak and a thump. "I said I would."

There was a short, awkward pause in which Sakura fidgeted restlessly, looking anywhere but Ino and Ino tried to catch her eye.

Finally, the blonde said, "I want us to be friends. I mean, it only makes sense; we're roommates after all."

Friends… Right. Friends didn't bite friends. She opened her mouth to voice that little tidbit (well, not the biting, but the futility of them trying to become friends) then stopped. "Friends," she said thoughtfully.

"Yeah. I'm sorry if I come off as a little pushy, but I care about my friends."

"Oh." Because 'oh' was the best she could come up with at that moment. She was honestly impressed by the slim blonde before her. Hers was a pure heart indeed.

"So… friends?" She sat up, reaching out. And promptly fell, having misjudged her balance due to her grogginess.

In an instant, Sakura was across the room, catching her and instinctively pulling the human into her frame.

"Thanks," Ino said, breathlessly.

Sakura said nothing, struggling to tamp down on the Hunger that surged up thanks to their proximity. Carefully, she pushed Ino off of her so that she was sitting on the floor. "…No problem. Ummm… Yeah. Friends."

Feeling rather childish, she took the blonde's re-proffered hand, painfully aware of how fragile she seemed in comparison, and shook it.

**A Week Later…**

"You two have gotten rather close," Temari observed, watching as Sakura left—not without giving Ino's cheek a quick kiss and eyeing Temari challengingly. Ino missed it, of course, but the sandy blonde bristled and stepped closer to her best friend.

"Hmm? Oh, Sakura? She's just friendly."

Together, they watched as the pinkette stalked off.

"I think she has a crush on you, Ino."

"What?"

"She's always in your personal space; always super happy to see you; always willing to do whatever you want her to."

"… Tema?"

"Yeah?"

"_You're_ like that."

Temari blushed—_actually blushed_. "Yeah, well, I'm your best friend. I just want what's best for you."

They ended the matter at that.

* * *

"No way."

"I'm telling you: yes."

"You can't be serious."

"Saw it with my own two eyes!"

Blue met green unwaveringly until finally, Sakura could take no more and burst out laughing. "So you're telling me this Jiraiya fellow is—"

"A disgusting pervert? Yes."

"And he—"

"Oh yeah. I doubt Headmistress Tsunade's ever going to forgive him."

They laughed some more, Sakura holding the door open for Ino. Before she went inside, however, the pinkette paused, body going tense. She thought she smelled—

"Hey, you're letting the AC out!"

She let the door swing shut because it _was_ pretty damn hot outside.

"You aren't studying to the brink of exhaustion tonight, I hope," the pinkette said, watching as Ino pulled a thick book from one of the shelves that lined the common's walls.

"Of course not!" was the flippant response.

"Ino… I swear: it's like you never sleep!"

That earned her an incredulous look and she flinched, realizing the hypocrisy in that particular statement—after all, no one kept odder hours than a Fledgling.

"Uh-huh… If it makes you feel any better, I'm just going to go over my notes seeing as my first exam is tomorrow morning. You mind helping?"

"Not at all."

They had waded through half of the girl's physics notes when Sakura's stomach rumbled—reminding her that blood wasn't all she needed to survive. There was a kitchenette adjacent to them; surely Ino wouldn't mind if she took a break to grab a snack?

No, she wouldn't, seeing as she had nodded off. Smiling affectionately, Sakura made to move off of the recliner she had been seated in, stretching to remove the kinks sitting still for so long had caused.

She leaned over, feeling, for the first in a while, free of Hunger while being so close to the blonde.

Who wouldn't take advantage of the situation?

Tracing gentle fingers along Ino's jaw line, Sakura was hit by a different kind of hunger: lust. The blonde was beautiful, kind, and caring… What wasn't there to like?

Temari had been right: the pinkette _did _have a crush on her best friend. She hadn't planned on it (then again, who did?), but she had found herself becoming infatuated with Ino during the time they spent together.

Whether it was studying…

_/ "This is bloody impossible," Sakura groused, peering up from the numbers scribbled all over her paper. "I suck at math."_

_Ino chuckled, peering over the pinkette's shoulder at the problems. "It isn't that hard. Look." She leaned in, her body pressed against Sakura's back. "You just have to…"_

_Whatever else she said was lost to Sakura as her face flamed._

_Gods… She was way too close, her scent wrapping around the Fledgling in the most delicious way._

"_Got it?"_

"_Y-yeah." Even though she hadn't. "Thank you."_

_Then the blonde withdrew, taking her warmth and sweet smells with her and Sakura was allowed to breathe again. /_

Recreation…

_/ "Oww…" _

"_Crap… Sakura, are you okay?"_

"_Yeah. Fine." Her head smarted and she was pretty sure she had skinned both her knees. Still, she deserved it—that had been rather stupid._

_She should have known better than to jump that far, Fledgling strength or no. It was a good thing Ino had believed her tale about tripping. _

_Somehow, the white lie (small though it was) gave her an acute sense of guilt._

"_Hold on." There were footsteps as she ran back inside and Sakura sighed and closed her eyes. When the footsteps returned, she opened them to see Ino kneeling next to her, first-aid kit in hand. "Don't worry." That mega-watt smile was directed towards her and she felt her stomach flip. "I've got you." /_

Even doing something she _hated_…!

_/ "This is ridiculous."_

"_It isn't." She was biting her lip though, very clearly trying not to laugh._

_With an aggravated sound, Sakura slumped onto the lounge chair, glaring moodily at the floor. "Okay, I'm done."_

_The blonde was at her side in an instant, hugging her. "Sorry, Sakura. I wasn't laughing at you; your expression was just so miserable."_

_That drew a snort. "I hate speaking in front of people. This isn't going to work."_

"_Hey, hey,' Ino chided. "Don't say that. You'll do fine. Ever try imagining your audience in their underwear?"_

_She felt her face heat at the thought of her current audience in nothing but her unmentionables. "Uhh…"_

"_Come on!" She was being pushed to her feet. "One more try. For me?"_

_Of course she tried again. /_

Her fingers lingered on the blonde's throat, toying with the rose-shaped pendant on her necklace—a gift from her father, apparently.

_Something's very obviously wrong with me,_ Sakura thought bitterly. _I'm falling for another girl for starters… Not to mention the fact that she's taken. _The pinkette bared her teeth in distaste. _Filthy male—touching what's mine._

She blinked.

'Mine'? Since when did Ino belong to her?

Pulling away as though she had been burned, Sakura sighed. This was getting out of hand.

When Ino made a soft sound in her sleep, the Fledgling flinched.

_Okay… Time to move. _When her body didn't respond as she wanted to, a cold sweat broke out over her body. _Yeah, definitely time to move now, Sakura._

This was just like the first time: her traitorous body refused to obey her commands, her focus narrowing down to Ino and Ino alone.

Her smell.

The feel of her skin.

The rush of blood through her veins.

_Blood…_ Her fangs dropped, eager to be wet with crimson liquid. _Shit. _Grappling with herself, the pinkette took a step backwards, trying and failing to release herself from the sudden stupor she had fallen into. A pained whimper left her throat as she forced herself to take another step _away_ from the thing she so desperately wanted, red blurring the edges of her vision.

Then she went still, her body akin to granite as she stopped breathing.

_Wrong. This is wrong._ She told herself. _Friends don't hurt friends._

In the next instant, she launched herself forward.

~o~

_I must have fallen sleep,_ Ino thought muzzlily. She pried her eyes open and was surprised to see Sakura against the far wall. It took her sleepy mind a moment to register the fact that someone was _holding _her there. _Who…?_

The woman was tall and striking, half of her hair caught up in a messy bun, half of it falling just above her shoulders. She was dressed in a cloak of some sort with a high collar and sweeping hem that pooled around her feet; it was black, a rose, its thorny stem wrapped around a crescent moon, emblazoned on the back in silver.

"_Stulta," _the bluette murmured, Ino realizing with a jolt that she was speaking Latin. Even more noticeable than that was the woman's voice: it was soft and melodious, low and husky.

And it had an underlying iron edge that made you want to bow to her will.

Sakura Haruno, the girl who didn't think twice about standing toe to toe with Temari—the girl who, Ino knew for a fact, understood that she had just been called a fool and had thereby been insulted—bowed her head, shame clear in the way her shoulders drooped. "I—"

"Hold your tongue," the woman commanded. "I will deal with you later."

As though by some unspoken cue, a man… appeared. There really was no better word for it: one moment he wasn't there, the next he was. He was blonde, handsome.

"I shall take her home, My Lady," he offered, voice rich and cultured. "What of the girl?"

_She _was the girl, apparently, if their glances in her direction were anything to go by. Faster than Ino could blink, the blue-haired woman was upon her, looming over her in the dim light.

This close, Ino could make out the stud that glimmered under a full bottom lip.

"Go," the woman commanded, her eyes the shade of blue that one saw in the wee hours of the morning as she studied Ino. "I join you presently." There was no sound to indicate that the man had left with Sakura, but the woman continued, "Your name, human?"

"_Human"? _"Ino," she heard her mouth supply without any sort of go-ahead from her brain.

"Ino," the bluette repeated, tasting the word. The way she said it… Ino shivered. "You've no reason to fear," the woman said, presumably picking up on the slight motion. "Not yet."

Ino gasped as she was swept into strong arms—

"**Sleep**."

—and everything melted away.

* * *

"Ino?"

_Knock, knock, knock!_

"Ino!"

_Knock, knock, knock!_

Sleep fled, thrusting the blonde into unmerciful wakefulness. Her head hurt—who the Hell was knocking on her door?

Crossing her room and yanking the thrice damned thing open, the young woman met Temari's worried look with a baleful glare. "What is it, Temari? I was trying to sleep."

Blue-green eyes widened. "You're late for class, Yamanaka. You're _never _late. Are you feeling okay?"

The last question met the air as Ino had darted back inside to confirm her best friend's claim.

Oh shit.

In a flurry of motion, the blonde dressed, brushed her teeth, and yanked long golden tresses into a high pony-tail (wait, when had she taken it down?). She was out the door three minutes later, grabbing Temari's hand and dragging her along.

"Whoa, whoa, what's the rush? I'm pretty sure he isn't going to let you in there."

"You never know until you try," she grunted, releasing Temari now that the sandy-blonde seemed to be getting with the program. "Hey, have you seen my necklace? The one dad gave me. I thought I had it on last night…"

~o~

Konan turned the object between her fingers idly, her mind elsewhere.

_/ The blonde's head lolled forward, her face resting in the crook of Konan's neck. It was covered by a dark turtle neck but she still felt the warmth of the other girl and stiffened._

'_Ino… Such a pretty name.' She flexed her fingers. 'And such a pretty girl. It would be a shame to kill her.'_

_Still, there was no choice, now was there?_

_Then again… She hadn't seen anything. She had been fast asleep when Sakura's eyes had bled red, fangs flashing as she opened her mouth wide._

_There really wasn't any reason to kill her. Right?_

_The uncharacteristic hesitation on her own part made her frown slightly._

_Pity. That's what had caused it. This girl was obviously sick—you could smell it on her. Sick with something rare and incurable. To end her existence now would be an act of compassion. _

_Still, she didn't move; just let Ino rest against her. /_

In the end, she had decided not to kill the blonde. _Let her enjoy the little time she has left, _Konan reasoned.

Dark blue orbs focused on the floral charm resting in her open palm. She curled her fingers over it, obscuring it from view. _A gift in exchange for her life, _she told herself.

That didn't explain why she carefully wound the thin chain around her wrist, allowing her sleeve to fall over it as she rose fluidly from her seat to go deal with Sakura.

_This… fascination with this human is wrong. I must nip it in the bud._

She wasn't entirely sure if she was thinking of Sakura or herself.

**-End chapter-**

Expect the next one real soon-swear it. Let me know how I'm doing?


	5. Mad World

_All around me are familiar faces_

_Worn out places_

_Worn out faces_

_Bright and early for their daily races—_

_Going nowhere, going nowhere…_

—Tears for Fears; cover by Adam Lambert

—**Mad World—**

_/ She was on fire. _

_She had to be—there was no other way a human body could get this hot._

_Someone was forcing fluid down her throat. Thick and warm—she should have been disgusted. Instead, she guzzled it eagerly, whimpering when the supply was cut short._

"_No more, child," a voice said. Her hair was smoothed back, away from her face, cool fingers feathering over her brow. "Now, you rest. This is the last Exchange…" She tried very hard to remain above the fuzzy comfortableness that was unconsciousness as the voice continued, "And it is my turn again."_

_White hot pain lanced through her neck and she squealed in pain, struggling weakly against an iron grip. As it dulled, she became aware of a pulling sensation._

'_It's drinking from me,' she realized, terror sending an icy shiver down her spine and rendering her immobile._

_This couldn't be happening. It was impossible._

_And yet, the creature was detaching itself, letting out a satisfied little sound. A warm, rough tongue passed over her broken skin, cleaning her. "Your turn, little one."_

_It was then that Sakura knew what she had been drinking._

_Blood. /_

Sakura opened her eyes. "I didn't ask for this."

Konan's gaze was impassive. _Big surprise there_, Sakura thought with an inward scoff. "It matters not. This is your current life and you will grow to accept that."

The pinkette remained silent, glaring fiercely despite the fact that she was bound. "Why am I here?"

"You disobeyed a direct order." The bluette came closer, her approach eerily silent despite her booted feet and the cloak that pooled around them.

She turned her head, taking in the cool stones that made up this wing as well as the wide windows that flooded the room with sunlight during the daytime. "So I get tied up like a disobedient dog?"

The edges of the elder vampire's lips quirked. "Exactly. Now that you've proven that you do not lack all common sense, _Stulta_, please tell me why it is that you decided to ignore not only Deidara, but myself as well."

"_Stulta." _The insult made her bristle. "I didn't ignore either of you."

"Then what happened? You were near that human in spite of how her blood called to you."

Her temples were throbbing now, the elder vampires demanding nature setting off the beast within. "I—"

"You know from experience what our kind is like when they lose control. And yet, you deliberately tested yours. Why?"

_Throb. / A pale face loomed, teeth stained red and bared in a manic grin. /_

What were these, flashbacks?

"I didn't—"

"Fledgling or not, you cannot afford to take unnecessary risks. The Council is very strict in its rule and will not hesitate to end your existence."

_Throb. / "And the girl?" The pressure on her throat didn't let up and she let out a weak groan. "What is her fate?"/_

A threat. Instantly, Sakura's fangs dropped, a dark growl bubbling out of her throat. Her entire body thrummed, her canines hurting in a way they never had before.

_Throb. / The pale male with the silver hair scoffed. "Foolish human… Getting tangled in our affairs. I say we destroy her." /_

Konan arched an eyebrow. "You think to challenge me?" When the girl bared her teeth in response, she scoffed. "They hurt, don't they?" Sakura blinked, confused, and flinching away when Konan grabbed her jaw and tilted her head to the side—as though she was inspecting an animal for defects. "Your fangs ache. You will find that that will happen every time fury threatens to overtake you."

_/ "Silence," the male with dark hair and endless obsidian eyes commanded. Instantly, the clamor that had greeted the silver-haired male's remark quieted. "… She will live. As one of us." /_

That unfaltering confidence was really starting to get on her nerves—frazzled though they were. Vision clouding around the edges, the girl had to remind herself to breathe a she wrenched herself out of the elder vampire's grip.

_Throb. / "Stulta." /_

Her anger swelled, hot and violent; with a snarl, Sakura lunged, making a clean break in the metal shackles as though they were made of rotting wood.

Konan was already in motion, twirling out of reach even as the Fledgling pounced on the spot she had just occupied, her fingers leaving ruts in the concrete as she curled them into claws.

She was very fast, naturally, but uncoordinated in her rage. It would be child's play to subdue her.

Sakura seemed to realize this because she was backing away slowly, growling all the way. Her eyes, normally a deep, clear green, were black-ringed around the elongated pupil, the band growing wider as she lost control.

_Problematic, _Konan thought, frowning slightly. With the way they were positioned: the elder vampire at the far end of the room and the Fledgling closer to the windows…"Sakura—"

There was a sharp _'crack' _as the pinkette broke through the window closest to her and a sickening _'crunch' _as she landed three stories down.

The bluette was quite sure she had landed badly and broken something, but by the time she crossed to the window, Sakura had disappeared into the night.

Konan swore quietly. "Deidara."

"Mmm?" the male hummed, appearing beside her.

"Find her."

The glass had cut her, the fresh wounds leaving a distinct trail.

"At once."

~o~

A week had passed…

Sakura was missing again and, for some reason, Ino couldn't remember if it had been her doing again. One minute they were studying, the next…

What a weird dream.

It wasn't as though this had been the first time Ino had had such a vivid dream. Quite the opposite. But somehow, this one felt more real.

The woman… whoever she was, had given the blonde a strange sense of peace, even as those all-too intense eyes had roved over her—observing, calculating, judging.

There was something predatory about her gaze, something that commanded her full attention. And, surprisingly enough, that had _excited_ her of all things.

Ino shivered.

"You alright, Ino?"

Mechanically, the blonde nodded her mind elsewhere.

Even the way the woman had walked—glided, almost—screamed of equal parts refinement and danger. To say Ino was fascinated was an understatement.

_Then again, aren't dreams supposed to be fantastical? _Ino sighed.

And then blinked upon realizing her companions, Temari and Shikamaru, had gone silent. She cleared her throat nervously. "Uhh… Yes?"

"Told you she wasn't paying any attention," the sandy-blonde grunted.

Shikamaru blinked. "I asked if you wanted to see a movie tonight. Around seven?"

"I—" A flash of movement caught her eye and her train of thought left the tracks with a rather loud screech. "Gottago!"

The two could only watch in bemused silence as she darted off.

~o~

Konan tensed, sensing Deidara's mind gear up. She instinctively knew she wasn't going to like whatever it was he had to say—

"You let her live."

Correct as always.

"Whom?" she asked, feigning ignorance.

"That human girl. The pretty one." He pointed and, sure enough, Ino was sitting at a table with another blonde and a brunette male. The latter were talking while the former seemed lost in thought. Blue eyes bored into her in askance. "You said you would see to it."

She shrugged. "She saw nothing." _And? _His expression asked. The blonde had never been as good at hiding his feelings as Sasori. "She poses no threat."

Deidara blinked and tilted his head inquisitively. "You did not wipe her memory either? She comes this way." Sure enough, Ino was hurrying over, those shockingly blue eyes fixed on none other than Konan.

For some reason, the bluette gained satisfaction from the knowledge.

"I did not," she admitted, shifting slightly. They were leaning against a large tree in the courtyard, the thick boughs shading them from the sun. "Did you find her?"

"Sakura?"

"Whom else?"

Deidara looked away. "No, my lady. She… evaded me."

Konan arched an eyebrow. "A Fledgling evaded _you_?"

He shrugged. "Should we move from here?"

"You go." He looked startled. "Sakura will be sure to return to the girl; she needs to be monitored. Return to your hunt."

"Yes, my lady."

~o~

Ino skidded to a halt, realizing that her target had somehow disappeared.

Maybe she had just mistaken someone for that woman in her dream? No… impossible.

Turning on her heel, the girl returned to her friends. "Did you see a woman just now? Taller than me, dark blue hair, and intense blue eyes?"

Temari grinned. "Sounds hot, but no."

"Someone you know, Ino?" Shikamaru asked.

"Umm… Sort of."

"Sort of?" Temari repeated incredulously. "She either is or isn't."

"I'll talk to you guys later," the blonde sighed, mind preoccupied.

She missed the worried look the two shared as she turned to go.

* * *

"_So_?"

"So…?"

"So you gonna tell me why you suddenly ran off?"

"I told you: I thought I saw someone."

"Someone you 'sort of' knew."

"Right."

"… Is everything okay, Yamanaka?"

"Of course. Why?"

"You've been kind of out of it lately."

"I don't know… I've been having weird dreams, I guess. Haven't been getting a lot of sleep."

A snort. "You _never _sleep."

"Okay, I've been getting _even less_ sleep."

"Gasp."

"Exactly."

"Well, it's getting late now. I'll see you tomorrow, okay? Try to sleep."

"I'll try."

~o~

The human was startlingly perceptive, Konan was realizing.

Then again… she was startlingly _oblivious_ to other things; certainly not the immortal standing over her bedside or the fact that another, younger immortal had been stalking her for the past week.

Yes, Ino was very human in that aspect: the race _always _missed what was before their very eyes.

With an inaudible sigh, Konan turned her attention towards the ceiling. _Why am I here?_

She had told herself three days ago when she had asked herself the same question that she was ensuring the blonde's safety so that she wouldn't have to go through the long, intricate process of saving Sakura from a life of exile (or death which was popular) for breaking the rules and harming a human.

But she couldn't find it in her to believe that.

Konan's eyebrows drew together slightly in consternation. _Why am I here?_

* * *

"What happened?" Konan asked upon entering the dining room to find her subordinates collapsed into the plush chairs. It was raining and, like the bluette, both males were dripping wet.

Deidara scowled. "I found her. She got away," he added. "She tore the both of us up."

Sure enough, Sasori was just as tousled, mud splashed across his boots and one pale cheek. "Where were you, my lady?"

"Roaming Kohona," was the vague response. "I grew restless."

"You smell like that human girl. The pretty blonde one," Deidara observed.

She didn't want to know how he knew Ino's scent so well. It had been a week, after all, and they had watched the girl in shifts. "What of it?"

"Ah… she's enticed you as well."

"Nonsense." The bluette scoffed for good measure.

"If you want my advice, Lady," the blonde continued, clearing water-slicked hair from his face. The odd eye-patch gleamed in the light the chandelier hanging above them afforded. "Slate your curiosity and she will soon become as uninteresting as the rest of the race."

"Slate?" the female asked, interested despite herself.

"Seduce her. Bed her. Human females are good sport." He grinned. "And once you've had your fill of her body, this silly interest that plagues you shall fade."

So it was obvious? There was something about that girl that had drawn in first Sakura, now— Konan blinked. _Nonsense_, she told herself sternly. "I will try your advice, Deidara. For now, we must focus our efforts on locating Sakura. That girl cannot be allowed to roam as she is. She will cause nothing but trouble for the Tsuki Coven."

That being said, the bluette stalked off, intent on changing into fresh clothes.

~o~

Ino swore she was going completely bonkers.

That could be the only explanation; one didn't randomly see _figments of their imagination, _of all things, skulking about. Because she swore to God she kept glimpsing that beautiful blue-haired woman from her dream around Konoha.

With a long-suffered sigh, the blonde crossed her legs and tilted her head back to contemplate the ceiling.

"Ino…"

She started. "Hnn?"

Shikamaru smiled slightly. "You seem even more distracted than usual… Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's all good," she answered, dragging her gaze away from the riveting series of low lights above. This was her boyfriend for Christ sake—she could at least manage to pay him some attention…

A flash of blue and her mind was instantly elsewhere.

… Or not.

"Sorry, Shika, I'll be right back." She shot him a smile that she hoped was convincing. "Little girls' room."

* * *

The human girl was persistent—Konan could give her that.

She was like a hound on the trail, going stock still every time she caught scent of her quarry.

Ironic considering _she _was the one being hunted.

* * *

"Damnit… lost her again," Ino grumbled.

Then again, how could you lose someone who never existed in the first place?

"Have you… been following me?"

The blonde jumped, her heart thudding painfully as, out of nowhere, the woman she thought she had seen—had thought to be a vivid figment of her over-active imagination—appeared before her, intense blue eyes boring into her, well, _intensely_.

As though she was the predator and Ino was the prey.

A shiver ran along Ino's spine at the thought and her heart doubled its rate. "That's a rather rude accusation," she said, finally managing to find her tongue.

The woman inclined her head slightly. "You have my apologies. It just seemed as though…" She shook her head. "Ah, I am being foolish. Forget that I spoke."

Ino nodded blankly, her full attention on drinking in the bluette's features. "Have I seen you somewhere before?" she blurted. The woman from her dream couldn't have possibly been a figment of her imagination if the one standing before her was a carbon copy. She must have spotted the bluette once before and her subconscious had recalled her.

And there was her voice… There was no way she could have dreamed _that _masterpiece up.

"I could not say." Those intense orbs flicked away, focusing on something over Ino's shoulder. "Miss—"

"Ino."

"Miss Ino, would you mind coming with me?" Her lips twitched in the approximation of a smile. "I'd like your help with something."

"Umm…" Go with a stranger with an uncanny resemblance to a character in a dream; one that she hadn't been able to get out of her mind for the past week? "Sure."

A slim hand came to rest against her lower back and slight pressure was applied, guiding her. An electric shock ran along her spine from the point of contact. "Come. This way."

As she was lead past tables, waiters, waitresses, and patrons, she swiveled her head, trying to catch a glimpse of Shikamaru. "This won't take long, right? My boyfriend is waiting for me."

The woman—it was weird that Ino was just realizing that she didn't know the bluette's name, wasn't it?—blinked and, for a moment, Ino thought disdain flashed across her features. "Your mate will not notice that you have been gone."

'_Mate?' That's a weird way to put it._

"Okay…" She cleared her throat, feeling uncharacteristically timid. "I, um, didn't catch your name."

The door was, courteously, held open. "It is of no consequence."

Once again, that was a really strange thing to say.

A little red flag went off in the blonde's mind as she registered the fact that they had journeyed beyond the packed parking lot and into the wooded area around it.

"W-where are you taking me?" _Don't panic. Your heart can't take it._

"Just a little further."

The woman didn't _seem _like a serial murderer or anything… That was comforting, right?

'_Not really,' _the little voice in her head reasoned. _'I mean, appearances can be so deceiving.'_

Well, if she was going to be axed up, she wouldn't go down without a fight.

Taking a deep breath, Ino whirled on her companion, hands balling into fists despite the disparaging thought of, 'what the Hell are _you _going to do?' "I—"

But the woman was gone.

**-End Chapter-**

The next one will be posted in the next week or so. Reviews are welcomed~

Also, I am currently without a beta, so please excuse any mistakes. I'll be looking into a new one should the one I have in mind be unavailable -nods-


	6. Together Again

_So alone and wondering why I feel this way..._

…

_Someday…_

_We'll be together again_

_Or just a dream in the end_

—Evanescence

**-Together Again-**

The human female was panicking.

But why? Surely she couldn't sense the danger that was circling the both of them.

The moment Ino's attention was drawn away, the vampire launched herself in Sakura's direction, actually managing to collide with the pinkette.

They tumbled for a graceless moment before separating, glaring at each other, poised and ready for action.

"_Stulta. _Why do you stalk the human?"

It was clear that Sakura had lost it: her clothes were in disarray, her hair matted, and she had an unhealthy pallor to her skin. She bared fangs that were twice as long as they should have been, a low, guttural growl leaving her throat.

From behind them, Ino squeaked in alarm; green eyes tracked over to where the sound originated. "Mine."

Konan cocked an eyebrow. "Yours? What is?"

Sakura's form blurred and Konan made an annoyed sound, her own body disappearing a split second later as she followed suit.

"You cannot!" she hissed, putting her body between Sakura's and Ino's. The blonde was looking around frantically, but she had gone stock-still just as a prey animal did before fleeing. She hadn't seen them yet.

Sakura started forward, snarling as her wrist was caught and she was propelled backwards. When her back hit a tree, a hand came up and held her there by her throat in an iron grip.

"It is _nefas_—sin—to kill a human. You know this." She flexed her fingers and Sakura's struggling desisted. "You will return with me. Feed. By tomorrow, you will be yourself."

Green eyes, narrowed and darker than usual, glittered hatefully as the pinkette kicked out at her Coven leader.

Konan calmly caught the foot and twisted it, not stopping until it was at an angle it certainly should not have been and the Fledgling howled in pain.

There was a sharp sound as the bone broke.

Tears welled up and the girl whimpered. "You...bitch!"

"Your sense returns to you," Konan responded dryly. "**Return home.**"

Sakura shook her head, fighting the Compulsion even as her eyes began to glaze over. Ino had moved upwind of them, evidently, because her scent hit them just then and green eyes brightened, slit-like pupils growing huge.

Konan's nostrils flared, Hunger stirring in her stomach.

This wasn't good.

"_Deidara," _she projected.

Sakura started as she, too, heard her leader's disembodied voice.

"_My Lady?"_

"_Quickly."_

"_I come." _He was a born tracker. He would find them.

_That girl… _There was something off with her scent, she realized—a sweetness that hinted at sickness. Their kind let the old and unhealthy alone and, normally, the scent itself was enough to discourage them from Feeding.

And, yet…

Leaves crackled as Ino moved, more of her scent—fear making it all the more tempting—wafting towards the vampires.

"Release me," Sakura demanded, pulling at Konan's wrist. She was lucid enough not to try the kicking thing again.

"Be still."

A twig snapped, birds taking to the sky in a flurry of movement. Sakura trembled, straining forward. "**Release me.**"

Konan scoffed, but didn't respond, her eyes fixed on the spot she knew the human was currently located. Where was she going?

Sakura opened her mouth to scream, only to wince in pain as her head was forced back as the bluette slapped a hand over it to silence her.

And still Ino wandered closer.

~o~

Ino desperately wanted to cry out, but she was torn: did she _want _the beautiful woman to return? Would she even come back?

Besides… she still didn't know the bluette's name.

There were other things that she didn't want to hear her either… namely whatever creature was making that fearsome sound. She suspected there were two of them because there had been a pained howl just a little while ago, but she hadn't heard any struggling so she couldn't be sure.

If her heart started beating any faster, it was sure to leap out of her chest.

The blonde frowned slightly in concentration. Were those… voices? Sure enough, if she listened hard, she could make out words:

"Be still."

"Release me."

"I have orders to take you back. With your compliance or without it."

The speakers were a male and female, of that she was certain. Was the girl in trouble?

No longer concerned with her own safety, Ino crept towards the voices, stopping just at the tree line. From there, she could see an oddly familiar blonde male and, slung over his shoulder, was a struggling Sakura.

Ino gasped.

"You…"

She whirled and nearly fell; the bluette was far too close and how had she managed to move so quietly?

"Th-that's a friend of mine," she squeaked, "and it looks like she needs help."

The woman's gaze was impassive. "She fares better than you."

_Say what?_

"I thank you for your help in capturing her," she continued. "Unfortunately, you have outlived your usefulness."

Ino took a step backwards, blue eyes huge. 'Outlived'…? Was the woman going to kill her!

"I don't even know your name," was all she could think to say in her panic. She would have to make a run for it. Her heart be damned, she wasn't about to die at this moment.

The woman tilted her head. "You are a curious human. Very well, I am Konan."

Ino took a deep breath…

"It was nice meeting you, Konan."

… And wheeled, dashing downhill, nearly falling in her haste. Her chest constricted painfully, her heart protesting at the sudden elevation in adrenaline pumping through her veins, but she couldn't sto—

The blonde came crashing to a stop, tumbling backwards from the impact. It took her a second to register just who was looming over her and she instantly began to scramble backwards. _Shitshitshitshitshit! _"Please don't…"

She was seconds away from hyperventilating. Wouldn't _that _be embarrassing—to have your heart give out before someone could murder you?

"**Be at ease**."

_Whoa… What's going on? _Her heart rate was actually slowing, her lungs abandoning their desperate attempts to gather oxygen in favour of a more normal pace.

"I mean you no harm."

Konan knelt beside her, her hands cool against Ino's warm cheeks. The blonde couldn't tear her eyes away from eyes that were so blue they appeared black.

What the Hell was going on?

"I want you to **forget**," the woman murmured.

_For…get? _She opened her mouth to speak—

"**Be still**."

—Only to snap it shut.

"**You have never seen my Coven mates or myself before.**"

_Coven mates?_ Ino swayed, suddenly very tired.

"**You will go on as you did before**."

A fog descended over Ino's vision, her head swimming pleasantly. _This is what being high must feel like, _some detached part of her mused. She felt as though, perhaps, she should be worried about whatever was going on, but she couldn't muster up the negative energy for it.

Everything was just great.

Konan's voice, the softness of her skin, the dark forest-full moon combo that made for a romantic background… Fabulous.

Before she was consciously aware of the action, Ino leaned in and kissed the bluette, that brief, chaste meeting of lips clearing the haze that had descended.

"Wha—"

"**Sleep**," Konan rasped, shocked.

The last thing Ino saw was the glint of the stud under her lip in the moonlight.

~o~

She had been unable to move as Ino leaned forward, despite guessing at her intentions—had remained frozen in place even as the blonde pulled away.

She had swore, long ago, that she would never be intimate with another soul (or, at least, for anything more than carnal pleasure) after—

And Ino had ruined that.

It took all of her willpower to command the human to sleep rather than rip her throat out.

How _dare _she?

~o~

**Konohagakure ; Konohagakure University dorms, Fall, 5:00PM**

"You ready for the break, kiddo?" Temari asked from her bed.

She had moved back in… Though Ino wasn't sure why she had moved out in the first place. The name 'Sakura Haruno' hadn't rang a bell either, but seeing as everyone swore the girl existed, the blonde had played along.

Ever since that night a few months ago when Shikamaru had discovered her passed out in the parking lot without any recollection of leaving the restaurant, Temari had been ultra protective of her best friend. More so than usual… if that was possible.

Her lapses in memory brought on strange looks and anything she did that suggested she was running at less than one hundred percent was a cause for alarm.

It was much easier to keep quiet.

"Yeah, I guess."

"You don't sound too thrilled."

She was going home to see her father, which was great, but the man was far too perceptive. He'd notice her newfound quiet listlessness as no one else had and would immediately question her about it.

She didn't feel like talking to anyone… Mainly because she herself didn't know what was wrong.

A feeling of loss hung about her constantly, pressing down on her shoulders like some invisible weight. What exactly had she lost?

It hurt her head trying to remember.

Ino shrugged and made a noncommittal sound. "What's for dinner?"

Temari scowled. "Tayuya."

"… What?"

"Tayuya swung by to invite you out."

"Oh? And where are _you_ going?" She knew that expression—slightly averted gaze, small, helpless smile—anywhere. "You have a date, huh? Is he cute?"

The sandy blonde blushed, her head lowering. "Umm… Yeah. _She _is really cute."

Ino's jaw dropped for all of three seconds before she noted the wounded expression on her best friend's face and snapped it shut.

"Hey, hey…!" She grabbed the girl's hands, and gave them a squeeze. "I'm just surprised is all. We've been best friends forever and I never knew you… Liked girls."

"I didn't know until recently, in honesty," Temari admitted softly. "Well?"

"Well…?"

"Who is she?"

"Her name's TenTen—"

"Holy shit, isn't she that girl on the track team? Super energetic and cute enough to give you a toothache?"

The older girl's expression softened and Ino had to bite her lip to keep from cooing. "Yeah. That's her."

"Score."

"Right?" Suddenly, Temari drew Ino into a hug, burying her face in the blonde's throat. "Hey… Thanks for not freaking out or anything. I… I really like her."

"Hey, who am I to judge? Whatever makes you happy." She wrapped her arms around her best friend.

They stayed like that for a few minutes before Temari cleared her throat and straightened. "Did you hear? Anko's coming back for a while!"

Ino blinked. "She's been travelling the world for ages now, hasn't she?"

"Yup. Talked to her last night and she said she'd swing by to "see all of our lovely faces" before motoring off again."

"Tch. Sounds like Anko."

~o~

"Yes, My Lady," Sakura responded with a low bow, expression blank.

She had learned to clear the emotions from her face much in the way one would wipe a white board clean since that night a few months ago.

Konan inclined her head slightly, her expression just as cool though dark eyes were curious. "Something troubles you, child?"

Though she could scarcely be called a child anymore—once Ino had been removed from the equation, the pinkette had assimilated swiftly.

"I am weary—I require Sleep." She hadn't been able to shut down her bodily functions and, literally, become dead to the world in the regenerative process of their kind in over a week now thanks to all these preparations. Apparently, the Tsuki Coven was expanding.

Well, no, not "expanding", so to speak. An existing member was returning after what had been years and it was causing much ado.

The bluette nodded, satisfied with the explanation. "Dismissed."

If she noticed the disdain that flicked across Sakura's face when she bowed a second time, she didn't show it and the girl was allowed to turn on her heels and stride across the tiled floor, the combat boots she chose to wear making no sound on the polished surface.

Just as it should have been.

She released a sigh only when she was sure that the other vampire couldn't hear her, taking a sharp right into a narrow corridor that lead to a set of latched doors that served as a hidden exit for the east wing.

As she pushed them up and out, her pupils expanded to take in the night, her heart pounding in her throat. Fall nights were always full of such young, plentiful bounty.

With a quick nod to Sasori, the pinkette was slinking off to Feed.

* * *

A scent caught Sakura's attention and held it; the sweetness nearly burned her nose as she took a deep breath in.

_Food_.

Moving easily, she hoisted herself into a tree, her eyes fixing upon a two-story house with darkened windows a few meters off. There were flowers of every species surrounding the quaint front porch but even their perfume did nothing to mask the scent of the one she was tracking; her fangs dropped, a growl rumbling in her throat.

"Honestly, you can tell me anything," a male voice grumbled.

A car door was slammed shut.

"I know, Dad." This one was female.

Another door.

"Then why won't you talk to me?" he whined.

A third—this one probably a trunk.

"I'm tired. I'm going to bed," was the impatient response. Clearly this wasn't the first time they had broached the subject. "Goodnight."

Sakura cocked her head as a light flicked on in the house and a silhouette appeared behind the curtains.

_That's…?_

Leaping from her hiding spot to the roof, the pinkette crossed the shingled surface, stopping by the source of the light. There was the rustling of cloth—the girl, whoever she was, was probably getting ready for bed.

She was so focused that she was shocked when the window slid open and she was met with clear blue eyes.

_Ino…_ She was slimmer than Sakura remembered and she looked… tired.

For just a moment, both girls just stared, eyes wide.

Finally, Ino resumed breathing and demanded, "Who are you and why are you outside my window?"

The pinkette frowned slightly. "Who am I?"

"That's what I asked. If I scream, my dad will come up and have your ass carted out of here," she added, glaring.

Honestly, Sakura felt more amused than threatened. Or, would have had she not been busy trying to figure out the blonde's total lack of recognition.

"You don't remember?"

Ino blinked. "We've met?" A little red flag went off then and Sakura stepped forward, into the girl's room. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?"

The vampire sucked in a breath, eyes narrowing. She couldn't be wrong: this was Ino.

The Ino she had gone to school with.

The Ino she had befriended.

The Ino she had fallen for.

"What happened to you?" She advanced and the blonde retreated until, finally, the backs of her knees collided with her bed and she fell into it. Sakura loomed over her, green eyes darkening to emerald.

She had better control now but she'd be damned if she wasn't reminded of why it was so hard to resist Ino before.

_Konan… _

_/ 'One can use Compulsion in a variety of ways,' the book read. 'The most popular being impressments of one's will, controlling prey, and hiding memories—the latter is the most difficult and can only be done by elder Vampires. Memories cannot be destroyed completely, however, so it is possible to force the victim to recall…' /_

_She didn't!_

Ino opened her mouth and drew air into her lungs—

"Don't… Please." The strange girl sounded so plaintive…

—only to close it.

"Who _are _you?" Somehow, she seemed familiar.

Sakura shook her head, her temper rearing up, dark and violent. "I'll be back. I swear it."

And, before Ino could say anything, she turned and hurtled herself out of the window and into the darkness outside, unconcerned as to whether a human had just witnessed the feat or not.

Ino dashed to the window just a few seconds later, but there was no one outside any longer as far as she could see.

As she shut her window, she shivered, remembering the pleading look in those wild green eyes.

Somehow, she seemed familiar.

**-End Chapter-**

I'm not really sure how I feel about this one... The action will pick up next chapter, though. Thoughts~?

Special thanks to **Luna Rei **for being (awesome) my new beta~


	7. Trouble

Please note that _Ductor secundae _is, literally, commander of the second role. I'm not entirely sure if this is how you say second in command, but close enough...

Happy Thanksgiving, guys~!

_Trouble's what you want _

_Then you're gunna get it_

_Trouble's what you seek_

_Do you really need it?_

_Trouble's what you want_

_Then you're gunna get it_

_Trouble's what you need _

_Then you will receive it_

—Skindred

**-Trouble-**

"Our lady is in her study," Sasori warned as he saw Sakura storm by from the garden. The eldest Vampire dabbled in writing and drawing and she really, _really _didn't like being disturbed. "I would advise that you…" He trailed off as the pinkette threw the double doors open and continued on, ignoring him completely.

The male sighed, already foreseeing a mess to be cleaned up—

'_Chink!'_

He had better hurry.

By the time he made it to the doorway of the study, Sakura and Konan were standing over a pile of broken glass and a thick black fluid, the former glaring and the latter…

Though her face didn't show it, he hadn't felt this much anger from her in a long time.

"You've but a moment to justify your actions, Sakura." The pinkette actually took a step back. "Should I not be satisfied with your reasoning, you will be punished."

When the girl straightened her spine, Sasori quirked an eyebrow; whatever was bothering her must have been important.

"Ino Yamanaka."

He tilted his head, eyes flicking to Konan. _Ah, yes… The human girl._

He distinctly remembered that debacle and, if the irritation that flickered across Konan's face was anything to go by, she did too.

"I forbade you from going to that place," the bluette deadpanned. She was referring to the college, of course; Sakura had been attending a school out of state at her expense with the sole purpose of keeping her away from the blonde nuisance.

"I did not go there—as I was commanded," Sakura retorted. "She was at her house. How is it that she doesn't remember me?"

The red-head frowned at her lapse in speech—seeing as she was from a different era, her speech was more relaxed than his or Konan's, but she also interacted with modern day humans on a regular basis.

How barbaric.

"I am not required to answer to you, Fledgling."

"I'm not a Fledgling anymore!"

"Until you cease the behavior that portrays you as such, you shall be a Fledgling and treated thusly."

Both of the elder Vampires tensed as Sakura took a challenging step forward; Sasori to discourage violence and Konan to meet it.

"Why are you such a cold bitch?" the pinkette demanded. "I followed your commands exactly and she was not a threat. You could have let her be."

"Years of practice," Konan retorted. "As you have taken leave of your senses, I would advise that you keep your mouth closed."

"Bite me."

Sakura was shocked when the bluette, moving faster than she could comprehend, pounced, pinning her to the far wall (knocking some of her books from their perches), and pressing the razor tips of her fangs against the Fledgling's throat.

Her blood ran cold.

"Take care what you ask of me," Konan hissed. The movement caused her fangs to scrape over sensitive skin and the pinkette whimpered. "I will end you."

She knew without a doubt that the bluette could take her head off if she chose to.

Konan inhaled deeply, a low growl rumbling in her throat as she bit down slightly—

"It would not be wise to bleed her dry," Sasori said slowly. "She may have use in the future."

Both females blinked, the younger sighing in relief the elder of the pair canting her head slightly to take in the red-head. "You would vouch for this troublesome Fledgling?"

"Aye."

"You know that you would receive punishment in her stead?"

"… Aye."

Konan pulled back slightly, intrigued. "Why?"

Sasori shrugged. "It is in my best interest to keep the peace. Even with one member absent, it would seem our Coven is as chaotic as always."

Abruptly, Konan straightened and was across the room, standing to Sasori's right. "Ensure that she remains out of trouble, then. Teach her to mind her insolent mouth."

"Yes, My Lady."

When she was gone, Sakura felt her legs give out and she slid into a sitting position, her hand coming up to cover the warm trickle of blood down the side of her neck. "What makes her so…?" she managed once her voice had returned.

_Intense._

_Cold._

_Deadly._

"She is the head of our Coven," the red-head said in response to the unfinished question. He wandered over to the pad of paper Konan had been using before her pink-haired disruption; it was face down. Upon lifting it, he frowned minutely. "Come. This mess needs to be seen to."

Carefully placing the pad where he had found it, mindful of sharp green eyes trailing him, Sasori sauntered out of the room.

Unable to resist, Sakura dashed over, gingerly lifting the paper as though she expected Konan to burst back into the room.

She gasped: sketched out was a strangely familiar visage.

Ino Yamanaka.

~o~

Though it was located in the middle of bustling industry, _Tanner's Diner _was as quaint a place as one could find in Konoha, the cottage-like appearance and rustic furniture serving to accentuate the country feel.

It also happened to serve the best dessert anywhere.

"You alright, Yamanaka?" Tayuya asked with a gentleness most didn't get to experience. "You're more distracted than normal… And that's saying something."

"I…"

_/ Upon opening her window, Ino blinked: just outside was a slim pink-haired girl with wild eyes. She wasn't sure who looked more shocked, the intruder or the intruded upon. /_

"… Had a weird dream."

"About?"

There was this girl; she seemed familiar to me. She came into my room through my window yet I wasn't afraid or anything. Just kind of… surprised, I guess."

"Well, what happened?"

"Hmm?"

Tayuya shrugged, pushing her food around her plate. "Something must've happened to make you all weird."

_/ Green eyes like storm clouds writhing with the threat of violence focused on Ino with the intensity of a big cat observing its next meal. "I'll be back. I swear it."/_

"She promised me she'd be back."

"A reoccurring dream, maybe? You look like Hell."

She ignored the crassness of the statement—that was just how Tayuya was."Yeah… Maybe." Clear blue eyes flicked over to the red-head, becoming sharp just a moment later. "What about you? Something's up."

"I think we should go ahead and order dessert," Tayuya responded smoothly, nodding to their waiter. "How's apple pie and ice cream sound?"

"Fabulous. Answer the question."

"Just some shit at home—Thank you," she said to the blonde man in black as he picked up their dishes. "—nothing new."

Ino frowned. Tayuya's legal guardian—a man named Orochimaru—was the bane of the red-head's existence. He controlled her college funds, however, so she had no choice but to grin and bear his tyranny. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Nah. I don't wanna to bore you."

This time, it was a preppy brunette that brought their food, plunking down two spoons and chirping "enjoy!" with a southern lilt to her voice before flouncing off.

"How's that bitch you hang out with?"

Ino sighed. "Why can't you two get along?"

"Tell 'er to climb off'a her pre menstrual cycle and maybe we'll talk."

The blond _had _to laugh at that one, her teeth shining as she grinned. "You're just terrible."

"Thank you, thank you… I'll be here all week." Tayuya sketched a quick bow. "Now shaddup and eat."

~o~

Sometimes, the tenacity with which human beings held on to things—beliefs, hopes, life… others—amazed Konan. _Clearly_ the pinkette's mind was still very much human—she had a problem with bowing to another's will and accepting things.

She just had to defend her beliefs, others be damned.

This constant fighting with Sakura would weaken her Coven, but seeing as the only alternative was to get rid of the nuisance, there was really no other way.

Her kind were not permitted to kill humans. No exceptions.

Opening fists she hadn't been aware of balling up, the bluette turned down a corridor and into her room; her haven.

She needed Sleep or she was going to splatter the Fledgling all over the floor.

Part of her temper was due to Sakura and part of it…

She made an irritated sound, shedding her omnipresent cloak and hanging it in the wardrobe adjacent to her bed. Her room was rather minimalistic, possessing only a bed, a tiger skin rug to cover the stone floor in front of said bed, a wardrobe with all her clothes (most of them black), a half-bookshelf half-desk that she used more frequently than anything else in the room, and a fireplace for those cold nights when she felt like curling up and reading. The only personal touches were the thick velvet curtains over the windows, a family tree framed on the wall documenting the Tsuki line that she updated every century or so, and a mural on her ceiling depicting a starry sky full of fantastical creatures that she herself had painted.

… Part of it was aimed at herself.

She had meant to scare Sakura, not actually cause harm. But she had caught a whiff of a strangely familiar sickly sweet smell and—

The vampire made her way into her bathroom, switching the water on so that it would heat before turning to regard herself in the mirror over the ornate marble bowl set under a faucet and upon a stand carved elegantly out of the same material that served as her wash basin.

Her eyes were wild.

—gods above she hadn't been able to pull herself away fast enough after Sasori had distracted her—mixed in with the intoxicating scent of the pinkette's fear, the smell of human was a temptation even Konan couldn't resist.

With a low, wrathful sound, the female shucked her clothes off and stepped under the spray.

If only she could wash her thoughts down the drain as she could the filth of the day.

* * *

Sakura paced restlessly.

She really needed to Sleep, but…

She paused in front of an open window and gazed out, part of her wanting to go see Ino.

"Sakura."

She whipped around to face whoever had spoken.

Sasori smiled minutely. "You should rest."

"I will shortly… May I go outside?"

"Return before first light."

She didn't need to be told twice.

* * *

Naturally, Sleep didn't come easily.

Vampires didn't toss and turn (or, at least, Konan didn't), but the bluette did twitch her foot restlessly as she stared up at her ceiling.

She really needed to do something about that girl—and she wasn't thinking of Sakura this time.

The cordless on the polished mahogany nightstand next to her bed went off and she gave it a curious look. No one knew of this number… No one except—

"Hey, Boss Lady~" a voice chirped when she picked up.

"_Ductor secundae_," she sighed, strangely glad to hear the female's voice. "I've told you time and again that your method of speech is—"

"Improper. Yeah, yeah—I get it. Do you always have to call me by my title? How impersonal."

"You are my second in command and I call you as such."

There was a sigh. "I swear… Why do you resist change? You need to assimilate, Leader-sama."

"I am comfortable in my own skin and will remain that way."

A snort. "You mind meeting me?"

"You've arrived so quickly?"

"Well, yeah. Happy to see the family and all."

"Then why would you call for me alone?"

The woman sighed. "Damnit, Konan, can you just listen to me for once?"

"Tch… Where are you?"

~o~

"Hey, Ino?"

"Yeah?"

"What's wrong with you anyway? I mean, if the question's too personal…!"

The red-head's embarrassed expression was rather precious and Ino couldn't help but smile. "Hey, it's cool." The blonde looped her arm through Tayuya's and tugged her along, towards the dorms. "It's called restrictive cardiomyopathy… Basically, it means—"

Ino stopped cold, blinking as she spied a flash of pink.

_Ba-bump._

"Yamanaka?"

_Ba-bump._

"Ino…?" Tayuya sounded far away.

_Ba-bump._

"Hey!" Her face swam into Ino's vision, but not before she caught sight of another: one demonic and slicked red with some vicious fluid.

The blonde opened her mouth, intent on warning her friend, but her breath caught in a gasp.

_Ba-bumpba-bumpba-bumpba-bump._

The world twisted, then went black.

~o~

"Are you alright?"

"I should ask you the same."

The purplette grinned, pointed canines glinting in the dim light the stars afforded. "Nah. You felt upset so I thought I'd force you to get fresh air. I know how you love barring yourself in your dark, stuffy castle."

Konan rolled her eyes. "Did you summon me to pick apart my flaws?"

"Of course not~ Have a seat." She patted the shingles beside her and Konan lowered herself gracefully. "How're ya holding up?" A blank look. "Er… How are you faring?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Oh… You know. The Mate fiasco."

_/ "This woman… We are wrong for each other. I request that you nullify this arrangement immediately." /_

The bluette flinched. "I am well."

"Is that so? I've been sensing some turmoil."

"That… is not due to him."

"Who then?"

"…"

"…?"

"A human."

The purplette cackled gleefully. "A _human_? Konan, you naughty woman… I approve. Who is he? Does he know what you are? Have you Fed—"

"Ino is a female and I have not Fed from her nor do I plan to," the Coven leader interrupted. "She is creating havoc with our Fledgling and I cannot have that."

She perked up. "Fresh blood?"

"You cannot despoil her. Sasori has claimed her."

"Old Gloomy? I can take him—"

"Anko."

"A'right, a'right… Geez."

"Your "trips" are intended to hold the peace seeing as you cannot control that tongue of yours. Please do not start any unnecessary trouble."

Anko laughed and let herself fall onto her back so that she was looking at the sky, her arms crossed behind her head. "Oh… You know me…"

A star shot across the sky and dark brown eyes trailed it, alight with mischief.

"Always behaving."

**-End Chapter-**


	8. Speeding Cars

_Here's the day you hoped would never come—_

_Don't feed me violins; just run with me through rows of speeding cars_

…

_There, there, baby_

_It's just textbook stuff_

_It's in the 'ABC' of growing up…_

—Imogen Heap

**-Speeding Cars-**

As imagined, breaking the news to Temari…

"Ummmm… Ino'sinthehospital."

"_WHAT?"_

… Didn't go down so well.

* * *

_Blip._

_Blip. _

_Blip._

Steady. Reassuring.

_Blip._

_Blip. _

_Blip._

Alive… Right?

Slowly—so slowly— Ino pried her eyes open, the heavier-than-lead feeling not leaving as her world swam into sight: white.

She blinked owlishly once, twice, trying her hardest to focus. The haze lifted a bit: white ceiling tiles.

"She's awake!" someone gasped. Movement. Further away this time: "She's awake!"

Hurried footsteps. A dull _thud_. Scrambling.

A wall of blonde. Her ribs were being crushed.

"Dad! Temari! I… can't… breathe…!"

"Jesus Christ, kiddo… You scared me!" Temari exclaimed.

"I was so worried," Inoichi blurted at the same time. "When your friend called me, I… I was so worried!"

_Friend…? _"You mean Tayuya?" The blonde looked around as best she could but didn't see any sign of the red-head.

"No, no… The _other_ girl. She said her name was Sakura."

~o~

Sakura leaned against the wall adjacent to Ino's room, her head hung low as though she had fallen asleep.

Quite the opposite: her ears were abuzz with the chatter of the patients and visitors on the other floors and she was finding it a bit overwhelming. That changed the instant Ino regained consciousness and began talking; her mind became instantly attuned to the blonde.

As she listened to the reunion between the Yamanaka's and Temari, Sakura smiled slightly, part of her wishing she was inside the room as well.

If only—

The Fledgling let out a hiss, scrambling away from Ino's door as she sensed the presence of another. A dark, twisted presence that made her ill at ease.

Standing at the end of the hallway was a slender male with spiky raven tresses. He was shirtless, his too-pale skin marked by a single diagonal scar from his left pectoral to his right hip. And his eyes…

They were red, the slit pupil surrounded by a faint black circle interrupted periodically by three black marks that resembled commas.

He started forward, shoulders rolling with each powerful stride and the Fledgling shivered, some survival instinct telling her to flee before a being that was greater.

But she couldn't—couldn't leave Ino.

When he drew even with Sakura, the male grinned, exposing a full set of pointed teeth. _"_I come seeking one only to discover another… _Quid est nomen tibi?" _When she didn't respond, he repeated, "What is your name?"

"I… Umm…"

"'tis not a difficult question, child." His eyes flashed and her throat constricted with panic. "Your name—what is it?"

Sakura opened her mouth to say… What exactly?

"Be gone, _turpe,_" Konan's voice said from behind the pinkette. "This one is—"

"Mine," the male interrupted. "I remember this one as it was I who turned her."

Sakura's blood ran cold.

_/ __The pale male with the silver hair scoffed. "Foolish human… Getting tangled in our affairs. I say we destroy her."_

"_He proves a point…"_

"_We do not have any need for more of _his _filth among us."_

"_We exiled him for a reason—to protect our very existence. He is a threat both to himself and to the species."_

_"Silence," the male with dark hair and endless obsidian eyes commanded. Instantly, the clamor that had greeted the silver-haired male's remark quieted. "… She will live. As one of us. Sasuke Uchiha must be hunted down and exterminated, but that does not mean that we shall condemn all those he Turns."_

_Sakura shifted, eyes unnaturally large. "D-don't… Please don't hurt me."_

"_Be at ease, little sister. You are safe… For now." /_

"Our Coven received her from the Council," Sasori said, his hand coming to rest on the Fledgling's shoulder. She stepped closer to him, marginally comforted. "Thus you lose all rights to her."

Red eyes flicked to the red-head. "I would challenge any one of you for her if it must be so."

"Would you be foolish enough to challenge us all?" Deidara questioned, coming to stand on Sakura's other side.

"_We cannot fight," _Konan projected calmly. Sakura flinched at hearing the woman's voice without seeing her lips move, still unaccustomed to having the bluette in her head—so to speak. _"Not here."_

The tension between both groups was nearly palpable, neither party moving even as the door adjacent to them opened.

"Umm… Are you _all _here to see Ino?" Temari asked, eyes wide. Five pairs of eyes turned to regard her and she took an instinctive step backwards.

"Now, now," a new voice called from the opposite end of the hall. "Can't we play nice?" Sakura glanced around the dark-haired make to see a purplette jogging towards them, a jovial smile curling her lips.

"Anko!" the sandy blonde gasped before Sakura could ask who the newcomer was.

Konan's eyes narrowed. "You know this woman?"

_You do, too? _Sakura wondered.

"That I do." Anko slowed, nudging the only human in the hallway at that moment aside with her hip as though that was the most natural thing to do. "A little birdie told me my favourite blonde—present company excluded—wasn't feeling well, so here I am~," she explained, already disappearing inside. "Oh, by the way…" She poked her head out, all friendliness disappearing from her features. "I'd leave if I were you, Uchiha."

_/ __Sasuke Uchiha must be hunted down and exterminated, but that does not mean that we shall condemn all those he Turns."/_

Then she was gone and, moments later, Sakura heard Ino greet the female.

To Sakura's surprise, the male sketched a quick bow, his tone condescending as he said, "I take my leave. Tsuki Coven… I will remember this."

As he turned and made his way back to the stairs, Temari blinked. "Well then. You guys can come in one at a time if you—Hey, hey!"

Inoichi quirked an eyebrow as four more visitors piled into the tiny room, moving a bit closer to his daughter and her cheery friend as the one who came in first—a tall blue-haired woman—gave him an appraising look, moving to stand next to Anko.

The other three—a handsome blonde man that, startlingly enough, looked like a male version of Ino, a red-head with a _pretty (?) _face and a glum air who was probably a hit with the younger girls, and a pinkette with wild eyes—kept their distance, the former two leaning against the wall, expressions bored, and the latter bouncing on the balls of her heels as though she wanted to move closer and was resisting the urge.

These were Ino's friends? From the look on Temari's face, no…

"I didn't know you knew Ino, Boss Lady," Anko said slyly.

'_Boss lady?'_

The bluette flinched and Inoichi swore he heard her hiss. "I was unaware of your… friendship with her."

"Oh, we go way back," Anko laughed.

Ino blinked curiously and Konan forced herself to relax. The human was pale with dark rings around her eyes; she couldn't handle any more excitement. "Do I… know you from somewhere?"

The bluette scoffed as Sakura tensed with barely-suppressed rage. Fledglings were ridiculously emotional. "I do not believe so, miss."

"Are you sure? You seem familiar somehow…"

"Ino," Sakura sighed. "You—"

Cobalt eyes flicked to the Fledgling, widening in realization. "You again!"

The pinkette bowed her head as Inoichi questioned, "Is there something wrong, Ino?"

"Yeah, she—"

Sakura's head snapped upwards. "**Sleep**,**"** she commanded, fixing her gaze first on Temari, then on Inoichi.

Ino's jaw dropped as her father and best friend slumped like puppets with their strings cut. "Wh-what did you just do!"

"Indeed," Konan said, an eyebrow arched. "Why did you do that, Sakura?"

Ino looked to Anko for guidance and the purplette grinned, slipping her hand into the blonde's and giving it a comforting squeeze.

The Fledgling shrugged Sasori's warning hand off and approached the bedridden girl. "She's in danger, Konan."

"From you? I should think so."

"No. From"—she shuddered in revulsion—"Sasuke Uchiha. He said "I come seeking one only to discover another"—he was talking about Ino."

"… What proof do you have?"

"My Lady, if I may," Sasori interrupted. "I insist that we discuss this mater elsewhere. With less humans, preferably."

"Hold on," Ino protested as the bluette nodded in agreement. "Sasuke Uchiha? As in the guy I have a Latin class with? And why are you calling me a human as though you—"

Sakura bared her fangs and the girl paled, her thought process slamming to an abrupt halt.

"—aren't… one…"

"You know as well as I do that he targets pretty young women. The living proof stands before you."

"What is it that you ask of me then, Stulta? Shelter the human?"

Ino closed her eyes and took a deep, calming breath. "Jesus… Whatever the Hell the nurses are pumping me full of is working a little _too _well."

If the apparitions heard her, they gave no sign—_How rude. _Only Anko chuckled, releasing her hand and crossing to the window where she proceeded to look out into the darkness as though Inoichi wasn't passed out in the chair next to her.

"That is exactly what I want. She needs protection."

"Absolutely not." Her tone brooked no argument. "This human does not need to be dragged into our affairs… You know exactly what that is like."

Did Sakura just twitch? "So we leave her to be Turned? To suffer as I did at the hands of that, that—!"

"Sakura, please calm yourself," Sasori said peaceably.

""Sasori is right… As he often is," Deidara agreed. "There is no reason to bring conflict amongst the Coven members. That is Anko's prime objective."

"Guilty~" Anko chirped, not looking away from the window.

Sakura made an impatient sound. "You propose that we do nothing, then, My Lady?"

"As it should be," Konan returned stiffly. "None of this would have happened had you not disobeyed me and saught the girl out."

"Excuse me? You heard her: they have a class together. He would have come for her even without my being he—"

"I refer to the Coven's presence," the bluette interrupted. "There would be no need had you not been in danger from the Rogue Uchiha."

Sakura's jaw dropped. "She would have been captured then!"

"She is human. That would be none of our concern. However, since you have stuck your nose into things—"

"I don't _believe _you!" the Fledgling snapped. "How could you be so cold?"

Konan growled—the low, warning sound of a predator. "You will learn your place, Stulta."

"Ladies, ladies…" Anko said mildly, finally turning to look at them. Sakura was surprised when Konan quieted—just who was this female? "Ino is my friend. And, if what Sakura says is correct, she'll need some sort of protection."

The bluette's eyebrows drew together slightly, but she didn't say anything.

"What do you propose, Anko?" Sasori asked. "We watch her in shifts?"

"No, that'll waste too much time and spread us thin. Uchiha is an old fart so he's pretty damn strong."

Deidara tilted his head. "Then you… agree with Sakura?"

The purplette smirked at his carefully modulated tone. "A surprise, I know, but she does make a good point. Ino can bunk with me for a few days. When she ventures out, she should have someone with her at all times."

Konan bristled. "And how long is a "few days"?"

Brown eyes met intense blue ones steadily. "However long it takes. He _will _hunt her down again in which case we take him out."

Again, Sakura expected the Coven leader to tell Anko where she could shove her plan. Again, Sakura was shocked when Konan just ripped her gaze away, her jaw clenched. "I want no part in this."

"Fair enough." Anko smiled. "Ready to go, Ino?"

All eyes save Konan's went to the blonde and she looked back incredulously. "Umm… While I appreciate Sakura's passionate argument on my part," she began sincerely, "I think this is a little too crazy for even one of _my _dreams. So, I'm going to wait until I wake up and have a crazy story to tell Temari."

"Come on, where's the fun in that?"Anko asked, holding out her hand. "Dreams should be like a speeding car: you can't stop until the wild ride is over; it's an adventure with nothing to lose and everything to gain."

"Or until you crash," Konan muttered, crossing her arms over her chest sullenly. "If we're done here, I am returning home." Without waiting for any acknowledgment, she faded from the room.

"I should follow her," Deidara sighed, standing up straight. "I will see you at home."

"I go as well," Sasori said, also straightening.

When the pair disappeared, Ino gave Anko a searching look. "An adventure, huh?"

"Oh yeah~"

She glanced first at her father, then her best friend. "Well… It's a dream, right? So I shouldn't have to fear anything."

"Exactly," Anko chirped.

Sakura arched an eyebrow, wondering if telling Ino she had nothing to fear was the best course of action, but she held her tongue.

"Alright, why not?" She reached out and took Anko's hand and the purplette helped her to her feet.

"Sweet! But Sakura here's going to give you a lift. I have something to take care of."

The pinkette flushed. "I don't think that's a good idea Anko…"

"Hey, I believe in you, kid," the purplette insisted, nudging Ino towards her. "Go on, get out of here."

When Sakura darkened all the more, Anko grinned. _Interesting._

Still, she swung the girl into a bridal style hold and let the world blur around her, trying to ignore the way Ino buried her face in her throat as she exited the building and sped through the humid night air.

"Alone at last," Anko chuckled, turning to the prostrate Inoichi. **"Wake up," **She kneeled, cupping his chin and patting his cheek gently until he stirred. "Hey there, sleeping beauty," she greeted when his eyes fluttered open. "Just thought I'd let you know that **Ino is staying at my place. Nothing to worry about**."

"Right," he mumbled, gaze unfocused. "Of course."

"Great! So I'll see you real soon."

With that, the purplette rose and headed out into the night.

_Oh, this is going to be interesting to say the least._

**-End Chapter-**


	9. Dreaming

_Dream, dream— even for a little while  
Dream, dream— filling up an idle hour_

—Blondie

—**Dreaming—**

_This is a bad idea._

_This is a bad idea._

_This is a bad idea._

_This is—_

"Where exactly are you taking me?"

Sakura swallowed hard, hoping to control the nervous squeak that was sure to enter her voice…

"Umm… To the house."

… And failing. _Damnit!_

"And where is 'the house'?"

"Umm…"

"Somewhere far away where no one can hear your screams," Anko responded, easily falling in step next to Sakura.

The pinkette gave a sigh of relief.

"Very funny, Anko."

"So I've been told." The purplette grinned. "It's a big ass castle just at the edge of town—I'm sure you've heard of it."

The blonde made a noncommittal sound. "I don't get out much, what with the failing heart."

Anko frowned slightly, but it was only for a moment. Her expression cleared, a playful smile tugging at her lips. "This just goes to show what a freak you are, Blondie: you're being kidnapped by vampires for some nighttime fun."

Ino chuckled. "I've had worse."

"Oh? Do tell~"

While the two chattered amicably, Sakura took a chance to study the elder vampire: she had heard nothing of this "Anko" prior to her arrival, but she was starting to like the female. As though reading her thoughts, Anko gave her a wink and a sly smile. "So, Saku, I've heard so much about you."

"Have you…?"

"Oh, yeah~ Boss Lady says you're headstrong, stubborn, ill-mannered, and all around difficult to handle." Sakura frowned and the purplette laughed. "We're going to get along just fine, Pinky."

"… 'Pinky'?"

A smirk. "Yup."

"You've been branded," Ino said with a dramatic sigh. "When she nicknames you, I'm afraid you're stuck with it." The vampires began to slow as the wrought iron gate came into view and the blonde gasped. "Wow… You weren't kidding."

"I do try to be serious every now and then, ya know… To keep you people guessing." Anko was the first up the steps and very courteously held the door open for Sakura and her passenger. "Alright, ladies—to my room: up the stairs and to the far right. I'm going to talk to the Boss Lady."

* * *

Konan was clearly displeased with the turn of events… Anko wasn't sure how she felt about that.

As much as she liked yanking the stoic vampire's chain, she knew better than to push her too far. Thus, she chose to knock on the bluette's bedroom door rather than barging in like she normally did.

"It's Anko." Of course Konan already knew who it was, but announcing herself was polite. And stuff.

"… Enter."

The head of the Tsuki Coven was lounging—_Like a lioness or something, _Anko mused—in front of her fireplace, a pad of lined paper at her side and a quill grasped in her right hand. She turned to look at her Coven mate, arching an eyebrow in question.

"Honestly, Boss," Anko said, unable to help herself, "The whole ink and quill thing is majorly outdated. You know they have pens that you don't have to dip, right? It's quite amazing."

Konan rolled dark eyes. "What is it?"

The purplette pouted. "What, I can't just swing by?" A slightly arched eyebrow. "Heh… You got me, okay? I'll fess up. Ino's gonna need some commodities while she's here."

"And?"

"And," Anko repeated, drawing the word out as long as (in)humanly possible, "I'm kind of strapped for cash."

Konan wrinkled her nose slightly, something—that was in Anko's opinion, adorable—she did whenever she didn't fully understand what was being presented to her. "What does being struck have to do with money?"

She burst out laughing, once again unable to help herself. "It's a saying, Boss. It means I'm flat broke."

Konan blinked. "What is it that you expect _me_ to do?"

"I was kind of hoping for your credit card. You know—the one that funds the Coven? Now I know I wasn't responsible with it last time," she hastened to add, "but—"

It was the bluette's turn to laugh and she did so, the rare, rich sound filling the air between them. "'Irresponsible' does not even begin to describe your spending habits," she said after one last chuckle.

Anko pouted. "I apologized and everything."

"Did you pay back the hundreds of thousands of dollars you wasted?" Konan ran a tight ship and liked to keep it that way.

"Er…"

"I thought as much."

* * *

Anko was sulking when she went to tell Sakura and Ino that she'd "be back in a sec."

Anko was sulking during the trip to the store.

Anko was _still _sulking an hour later as she threw snacks and other necessities like games and movies into a cart.

"Really, is this all quite necessary?" Sasori questioned, poking at the metal trolley's contents.

Anko swatted his hand away. "Trust me, it is."

"Are you still fretting over the fact that Lady Konan sent you with an escort?"

"Of course not," she responded flatly.

The red-head smiled wanly. "I thought as much."

"Humph."

* * *

"For a dream, this is pretty slow-moving," Ino mused aloud. Sakura tilted her head and the blonde chuckled. "I mean, normally something freaky happens then it's all over. This," she gestured to their card game, "is so… I don't know, _domestic_."

The pinkette smiled slightly and drew a card. "Would you prefer we did something more exciting?"

"Give me the grand tour? I didn't see much before I was herded into Anko's room."

She would probably get an earful for it later, but…

"Sure."

Together, the two headed back down the hall, Sakura explaining what she knew of the structure's origin from Sasori as they went.

There were about twenty rooms: eight bedrooms, the kitchen, a sitting room, the grand dining room, a wide, spacious room for swordplay, a loft where Deidara sculpted, Konan's study, the library, a garage where Sasori tinkered with all sorts of mechanical apparatuses, and four bathrooms (including Konan's private one).

Those were only the ones that the house's denizens could enter on a normal basis, according to Sakura. The house was, apparently, much bigger.

Ino marveled at the décor in every room that they were allowed to enter; from the chandelier hanging in the entrance hall to the wrought iron fixtures on the walls that held oil lamps and torches, the house just screamed of Old World elegance.

"What about this room?" she asked, tugging on the sleeve of Sakura's shirt. The fabric was soft and slippery—silk.

"Hmmm?"

"The last one at the end of the hall." It was a plain wooden door, stained black and, when Ino stared at it for a moment, she realized that it lacked handle.

Sakura turned her head then shrugged. "Lady Konan keeps all her valuables locked up in the east wing. I wouldn't try that door, if I were you. It's, umm… Vampires only, if you will."

"There you two are." Anko came bounding up the stairs, plum locks in disarray. "Come on, you gotta see what I picked up~"

They followed her back downstairs where Sasori was supporting the weight of a box twice his size under Deidara's bemused gaze. He went into the room adjacent to the entrance hall: the sitting room.

"What is that?" Ino questioned, trailing after the male.

"A TV," Anko declared, puffing out her chest proudly. "The Boss Lady thinks they're unnecessary, but—"

"—But you enjoy testing the limits of Lady Konan's patience," Deidara interjected. "I can hardly protest this plan, however… You did buy a—"

"PS3 _and _an Xbox." The purplette smirked. "I bet you Sony beats the Hell out of Microsoft."

"You have a wager."

"I never took you for much of a gamer, Deidara."

He sketched a mock bow. "There is much you do not know about me, Fledgling."

Sasori shook his head, already moving on to remove the flat screen from its box and protective coverings. "Honestly, the two of you behave as children do."

"C'mon, Sasori—you know you want to~"

"I am merely assisting you. I will not be pulled into your foolishness."

"But it's fun!"

Sakura and Ino shared a look, the former trying very hard not to laugh. She had never before seen either male banter like this and it was quite refreshing (not to mention amusing).

"What games did you get, Anko?"

"Glad you asked, Pinky~ Only the finest for the Tsuki—"

"What is the meaning of this?"

The pinkette and the only human in the room (not to mention for miles) went stock still, the latter doing her best impression of a deer caught in the headlights.

Sasori calmly rested the television set on the ground and began opening up another box that would allow him to mount it on the wall while Deidara continued to lean comfortably.

"Hey Boss," Anko greeted, hustling over to her.

"Did I not instruct you to buy only what was absolutely necessary?" the bluette demanded. "Or are you unable to comprehend the phrase "do not buy"?"

Anko winced. "But this _is _all necessary…" Amending, "_Most _of it is!" when Konan gave her a dark look.

"Anko is a… What do you humans call it?" Deidara mused, moving over to the girls. "Ah, a "shopaholic," I believe."

"Oh, wow," Ino said, watching as the brash purplette hung her head in response to Konan's stern words. "Is she in trouble?"

Sasori snorted, having already finished setting up the wall mounts. He lifted the TV into place and took a step back to survey his handiwork. "When is she not?"

* * *

Did dreams usually become hard to discern from reality?

Ino's certainly were.

She woke in the morning in her own bed, sure. Her dad was already off to work—also normal. But after a long day of learning… everything afterwards was a blur.

The blonde didn't ever _remember _going to sleep, but there they were: the vampire family that had come to inhabit her every sleeping moment.

A couple of times, she had even daydreamed seeing Sasori or Deidara in class.

Needless to say, it was getting weird.

At the moment, Sakura and Anko were parked in front of the TV playing _Tekken_, the latter arguing with Deidara over who would get to play next and who wouldn't. Sasori, though he had said he wouldn't become involved, was watching the proceedings.

"Welcome back," the red-head greeted, giving Ino a rare half-smile as she entered the room.

The girl waved, sitting down between Anko and Sakura when the latter scooted over to give her space.

As she sat down, the blonde was struck by just how comfortable this was: it felt as though she belonged here.

"What's on your mind, Blondie?" Anko asked, dragging her eyes away from the screen. She flipped Sakura off as her character met a gruesome death and tossed the controller to Deidara. "You seem kind of out of it."

"Umm…"

Of course, there was one exception to her feeling welcomed: Konan. The Coven Leader rarely even glanced in her direction and was, according to Sakura, spending more time in her room or her study than usual. Was that _her _fault?

Just then, blue and black floated passed the room.

"Why does Konan hate me?"

"Don't let her hear you call her that," Sakura warned, biting her lip in concentration. "You have to add an honorific or she'll flip."

Ino smiled slightly—Sakura's manner of speech grew more relaxed the more time she spent with Anko.

Said purplette laughed. "Oh, Blondie… The Boss Lady doesn't like anyone—especially not humans. It wasn't _always _like this, mind you."

"Oh? What happened."

"Anko: shut your mouth lest I shut it for you," Konan's voice said, icy cool. The look she directed at the two could have frozen Hell over and Ino quickly lowered her eyes.

Anko actually flinched. "I wasn't going to say anything… Geez. You gonna join us, Boss?" She patted the sofa cushion on the other side of her and gave a winning smile.

"I shall have to pass," the bluette deadpanned.

"Awww… C'mon! It's like family time, only, none of us are technically related."

A blink. "Sasori, I am surprised to see you taking part in… this."

The red-head shrugged. "It can be quite entertaining at times."

"_Konan_," Anko whined, drawing out the word to summon the bluette's attention. "You _have _to spend time with us."

"And why is that?"

"I'm leaving."

Ino froze—Anko was the only one who stood up to the stoic Coven Leader for her. Would this dream soon become a nightmare?

"What? Already?" Sakura complained, finishing Deidara with a flashy combo before turning to regard the purplette.

"Your stay was rather short," the blonde vampire agreed.

"Can't be helped," Anko sighed. "I'm needed elsewhere."

Konan's eye narrowed. "And what of your human?"

"What about her?"

"She is to stay here while you are not present?"

Suddenly, the room felt a bit colder as dark blue eyes met dark brown. The TV shut off, seemingly on its own, the game system following suit just a moment later with a forlorn 'beep'.

Ino wasn't sure what was happening, but looking at the two male vampires and the way they tensed, it couldn't be good.

A hand closed around her wrist and her heart jolted uneasily, but it was just Sakura. "**Be calm**," she murmured, drawing Ino to her side protectively.

Instantly, the muscle settled down, returning to a steady beat.

"That goes without question," Anko said, calmly though her posture suggested otherwise. "Ino will remain here until she wishes to leave."

_Whoa, what's with the change in diction?_

Konan bared her teeth, the action terrifying, but not quite threatening. "You ask too much, Anko. Especially for some… pet of yours."

"And you'll thank me later," the purplette replied, relaxing. Instantly, the room's temperature rose and she smiled easily. "Trust me, Boss… When have I ever been wrong when it comes to these things?"

And, with those cryptic words, Anko patted Ino and Sakura on the head and sauntered out of the room.

Silence reigned for a few awkward seconds before Konan sighed, her frame slouching and becoming less intimidating.

Despite the distaste she was shown, Ino's heart went out to the bluette.

"My Lady," Sasori began gently. "Would you like for me to draw you a bath?"

"… Yes." Blue black orbs flicked to Ino. "Take the human with you."

If he was surprised, the red-head gave no indication. "Very well."

As the two headed out, Ino's expression one of unadulterated confusion, Sakura made as if to follow—

"Sakura, come," Konan barked. She didn't wait for the pinkette before stalking out of the room.

Deidara sighed; he was now alone. "I suppose I should see to Anko," he muttered.

With one last look at the TV, he departed as well.

**-End Chapter-**

It seems this dream might not be as sweet o.o Review and let me know what you thought~


	10. Memories

Bleh... I apologize for the tardiness of this chapter, but I've been going through life stuff. Here we go: **Supreme Distraction** and Co present...

_I pray to the gods let him stay._

_The memories ease the pain inside,  
_

_And now I know why._

_All of my memories keep you near._

_In silent moments,  
_

_Imagining you here_

_All of my memories keep you near,  
_

_In silent whispers, silent tears_

—Within Temptation

**-Memories-**

"Umm… Sasori?"

"Mmm?"

"Why am I going with you?"

"My Lady commands it." He sounded puzzled.

"Yeah, I know, but why?"

"You would do best to follow the orders you receive without question, Ino."

The blonde shook her head, deciding that the quiet red-head wasn't the right person to question. She followed him in silence to the opposite end of the house and down a hallway where, at the end, was a shoji painted in crème and varying shades of brown.

"Lady Konan has her own bathroom, but she enjoys coming here to bathe as well," Sasori said as he slid it open and stepped inside.

It was pitch black, but when her companion began lighting candles, placed strategically around the room to afford the most light, Ino could only gape: before her lay a vast, empty bath tub hewn into rock.

As she watched, Sasori padded over to an outcropping and gestured for her to follow. "These are bath salts," he explained, selecting a glass jar filled with crystals from one of the shelves that had been chiseled into the rough surface. He stood, cloak swirling around him, and moved over to what looked like a pile of medium sized boulders. "The water," he hit a silver switch, "flows forth from here."

It was then that Ino realized that the boulders were placed to create a waterfall; as the clear water cascaded into the pool, Sasori threw in a few of the bath salts. Instantly, a subtle, fruity smell permeated the room and steam began to rise off of the water's surface in weak tendrils.

"All of the linens are in a cupboard just outside." The red-head pointed to the shoji. "I believe that is all that you are required to know."

Ino frowned slightly. "I'm pretty sure I'm not allowed to bathe in here and you don't usually make small talk, so why are you telling me this?"

A faint smile curved Sasori's lips. "This is a task that will be expected of you soon enough."

~o~

"What? Why?"

Dark blue eyes narrowed and Sakura winced. '_Rule one: don't question her.'_

"The Council specifically asked for Anko and she wants those who she places the utmost trust in to accompany her."

"She didn't choose you?" _'Damn my mouth!'_

Konan rubbed her temples tiredly, but didn't give the Fledgling another dark look. "As Coven Leader, I cannot leave here unless the situation grows out of hand."

'_The queen… Trapped in her castle.' _"Oh…" The pinkette wracked her brain, searching for a way to phrase her question that _wouldn't_ offend her superior. "Is that why you wanted to talk to me?"—not directly asking the female why she was needed, but hinting at it.

Konan chuckled. "Perhaps there is hope for you yet. You are here, Fledgling, because it is time you saw something."

"My Lady…?"

The bluette sighed. "We must always learn from the past, Sakura. History is not intended to repeat itself." She unlocked the door and Sakura stepped into her room for the first time. Instantly, the pinkette's curious eyes began to wander. Konan shook her head bemusedly and crossed the room, undoing her cloak as she went. Once she was settled on chest at the end of her bed, she cleared her throat and green eyes snapped to her.

Sakura blinked. The elder vampire was really quite… Beautiful. Not that one could tell when she donned that formless mass of dark cloth. Under it she wore a faded gray turtleneck and black corduroy pants.

Did she ever get hot?

"Come," the female commanded, seemingly tired of waiting for the pinkette's brain to engage.

The Fledgling started and stumbled forward, nearly tripping over her own feet as she hurried to her superior.

"Kneel."

After a moment's hesitation, Sakura kneeled at the older woman's feet, lowering her eyes submissively out of pure instinct.

"We vampire share our memories through blood. We are linked, generation to generation, by the very liquid that sustains us."

Green eyes flicked upwards, wide with curiosity. "Why are you telling me this?"

"What you are about to see is a defining moment in our Coven's history," Konan said quietly.

'_See?'_

"It is also my greatest blunder… And perhaps the greatest lesson to be learned." The bluette rolled up her right sleeve to the crook of her elbow. "This will also be the first time you've Fed. Consider it an initiation, of sorts—a coming of age."

It was then that Sakura realized what the elder vampire was asking of her. Up until now, she had been drinking from plastic baggies filled with blood that had been drained from a body _for _her. The alternative had her gagging despite the knowledge of where the innocent-looking substance (sometimes, she could imagine she was drinking punch with a tangy aftertaste) in aforementioned bags originated from.

"I-I don't think I can—"

"You can and you will. In order to survive, our kind Feeds from humans. There can be no other way."

Still, the Fledgling balked. "There has to be some other way."

Konan made an impatient sound. "You do not take sustenance from me, child. You draw from me knowledge. With knowledge comes strength." When the younger girl still hesitated, the bluette sighed and pressed the sharp tips of the fingernails of her left hand to the unbroken skin of her right forearm. Droplets of blood welled up and Sakura's senses zeroed in on the source.

As she watched the deep red fluid drip down Konan's pale skin, the pinkette's canines began to ache and it occurred to her that she hadn't eaten anything since early that morning for fear of scaring Ino; after which she had been distracted with trouncing Anko in every fighting game possible once she had learned the ropes.

Now, Hunger kicked in with a vengeance.

"I will not ask you again."

Sakura's pupils dilated and her pulse roared in her ears. Before she realized what she was doing, the Fledgling grasped Konan's arm and pulled it to her, licking up the mess the Coven Leader had made with long, eager swipes of her tongue.

She half expected the woman to pull away in disgust; instead, she was pleasantly surprised when she was pulled to rest between Konan's legs, the bluette making low sounds of encouragement all the while.

Then, the girl bit down and flavor exploded on her tongue.

This—warm blood straight from the source—was infinitely better than a blood bag.

The room began to spin and grow fuzzy at the edges. Konan's voice sounded far away as she murmured, "Forgive me."

'_Forgive you?' Sakura puzzled. 'For what?'_

Everything went white.

_/ "Konan! Konan!"_

_Not 'My Lady?'_

"_Hey, could you wait up? I'm only human, you know!"_

"_I am well aware of that." But there was no malice in her tone and the edges of her lips quirked. "Honestly, I do not understand why you insist upon walking with me."_

"_It's chivalrous," the male insisted, multiple piercings glinting in the moon light below a shock of orange hair. "Some say chivalry is dead, but I say to Hell with that!"_

_They shared a laugh, now walking side by side._

"_Hey, Konan?"_

"_Hmm?"_

"_Can I ask you something?"_

_Another faint smile. "I imagine you can."_

_He shook his head, but eyes like liquid silver glinted with mirth. "_May _I ask you something?"_

"_Of course." __**Anything.**_

"_You trust me, right?"_

_Something flickered in dark blue eyes, but the female didn't hesitate to say, "Yes."_

_The male kneeled and her heartbeat actually faltered. "Konan… I know I'm a mortal and therefore severely undeserving, but will you—" _

_A shadow eclipsed the moon at that moment and the bluette hissed, jerking the human to her side._

Her _human._

_**No… Not this.**_

_The scene flashed forward to a barely lit cell where a shadow shifted. Suddenly, Konan was standing on the other side of the bars, her cheeks wet with… tears?_

"_You have to get out of here,—" the orange-haired male from before appeared as though he had aged five years and his clothes were in disarray "—Konan, please."_

"_Not without you," the vampire shot back, voice rough. _

"_Do you hear that?"_

"_Yes, it sounds as though the prisoner has company."_

_Footsteps._

_She lowered her voice. "I could hide you… They would never—"_

_He raised his. "Guards! This way!"_

"_Please, Pein…!"_

_Pein, as he was called, smiled sadly. "I love you, Konan. You're better off without me… This is the way things were meant to be. Our races shouldn't mix." He traced his fingers over the woman's knuckles; they were white from the iron grip she had on the bars. "Just go. Leave me."_

"_I will not."_

_Two males came around the corner, cloaks with an odd pattern composed of three apostrophe-like figures swirling behind them. The taller of the two seized the bluette by her shoulders. "Miss, no one is permitted down here—especially not you. We are under strict orders."_

"_Release me at once," she snarled, jerking away._

"_Please understand," the shorter of the two sighed, moving to assist his partner in the removal of the wily bluette._

"_Pein!"_

"… _Goodbye, Konan."_

_Flash to a cold corpse. Bloodied, torn, and oh so familiar—_

_**ENOUGH!**__ /_

Konan gasped, her chest rising and falling rapidly with her uneven breathing. "That's… Enough."

Suddenly weak, Sakura fell onto her backside, her head spinning with what she had just seen. Her chest felt tight and, somehow, she felt… connected to her Coven leader "You… You fell in love with a human."

"It began as a fascination just as with that Ino girl," the bluette said curtly. Any weakness that had been in her voice was eradicated by stern disapproval. "P—He knew that our kinds should not mix. You should realize the same before it becomes too late."

The pinkette closed her eyes, remembering the way her superior had actually _pleaded _with the man. "What happened to him?"

But the bluette had re-erected her walls, her dark eyes filled with pain that she couldn't fully bury. "I have shown you all that I wished to. Leave me."

The pinkette thought to protest, but she swallowed the comment and bowed her head, murmuring, "Yes, My Lady," and fleeing the room.

~o~

Ino jumped, her heart skipping. "I-I didn't hear you coming, Ko—um—Lady Konan," she corrected, remembering Sakura's words.

She had been staring at nothing and inhaling the sweet aroma of bath salts when the bluette had swept past her.

The vampire titled her head, expressionless. "I did not mean to frighten you… And I was not aware that the human heart raced as yours does so frequently."

"I have a condition," the blonde admitted haltingly.

"A condition…? I was not aware that we were making an agreement."

Ino stared for a moment and wondered if the female was making a joke. When she saw the combination of confusion and seriousness in Konan's gaze, she had to bite her lip to keep from smiling. Could vampires be cute? This one was at the moment.

"Erm…" She wracked her brain for a term. "I meant 'ailment'. It's called restrictive cardiomyopathy. My heart's just going to give up one of these days so everyone's really careful not to upset me. I can't run around, I can't do heavy lifting, and sometimes I get really sick…" She laughed mirthlessly. "It really sucks."

The blonde looked to Konan for her reaction only to blush and avert her gaze: the vampire had stripped and was stepping into the water.

"Humans are such a fragile species," Konan remarked absently. "You are no longer needed. Begone."

* * *

"Hey, Sakura, are you okay?" Ino asked. For some reason, she felt as though it would be in her best interest to keep her distance from the slumped Fledgling. "Sakura…?"

The pinkette looked up, her eyes dull. "Oh… Hi."

She had been waiting outside of Ino's room for her and, now, she couldn't remember why she was here. Konan's anguished pleas kept ringing in her ears and her stomach churned nauseously as a result.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"I just need to Feed," she murmured, eyes sliding shut. Her head was starting to hurt.

"Feed?"

"Off of humans like yourself." Suddenly, she rose and pinned Ino to the hall wall, her arms on either side of the blonde's head. "I am a vampire, Ino. We drink from your kind."

"I-I didn't know that," Ino stammered, holding her breath as something intense shifted in electric green eyes.

A cold laugh. "Of course you didn't… Did you know anything about us before you followed obediently like some lost sheep?"

"It's just a dream—"

"You're a fool," Sakura spat. Why did she feel so unkindly to the girl? This had to be Konan's doing! But she couldn't stop herself as she leaned in and dragged her tongue over Ino's throat. "You still think this is just a dream?"

"I—"

"It isn't."

Ino gasped as a sharp fang pricked her skin, pain blossoming as warm, thick liquid ran down the side of her neck.

"You've been so easy to fool, Ino… You believe anything your precious Anko tells you when, in fact, you are helpless to do anything beyond listen. I don't think you really know how much choice you actually have. You're a pet: you are kept safe and you are fed so you follow directions and act as a good pet should."

"Enough!" Anko barked, yanking the pinkette away by the back of her shirt and shoving her in the direction opposite Ino. The Fledgling stumbled into a sidebar, toppling priceless vases to the ground with several loud crashes. "You have no right, Sakura."

There it was again: that other, scary person Anko kept hidden under her easy demeanor. It reared its head with a vengeance; lights flickered and Ino's teeth actually began to chatter.

The purplette turned to her friend and reached out, swearing when the blonde flinched away. "Shit… Ino, I can explain—"

Ino shook her head and turned on her heel, fleeing as quickly as she could.

What Sakura had said—how much of it had been true?

She had read about vampires controlling their victims and of other twisted things the creatures of the night engaged in.

How much of it had been true and how much of it had she been subjected to in her naïveté?

The dream had become a nightmarish reality.

**-End Chapter-**


	11. Too Much to Learn

_Too much to learn__  
__Don't you know there is__  
__So much to learn__  
__Don't you know you have…_

—Jesus Jones

**-Too Much to Learn-**

"_Vampires are an ancient race governed by the Vampire Counsel and laws developed over the ages. The moment we neglect to uphold these laws, we become like the other mortal creatures that roam this world._

_Savages._

_Those that would save our race from extinction are as follows:_

_Thou shall not kill your own lest they break the rules._

_Thou shall not hesitate to destroy those marked as an enemy of the race._

_Thou shall not kill humans._

_Thou shall not lie to another vampire._

_Thou shall not mate with humans."_

Ino had been holed up in the library for two days and Anko was beside herself with concern.

Konan was concerned, too… After all, the human was locked up with _her _books.

The bluette didn't understand why her second in command didn't just kick the wretched door down and remove the human bodily from the room. For every meal the purplette insisted on leaving a plate outside of the heavy double doors—just imagine: food and books!—and would take the empty plates away afterwards.

There was never a word of thanks or even any acknowledgment when Anko asked her questions in a gentle voice meant for skittish, stupid beasts.

To tell the truth, it was one of the most pathetic things Konan had ever witnessed. What was so important about this girl that would cause Anko to disregard the summons of the Counsel? What was so important about this girl that would make a vampire of Anko's stature debase herself so?

Vampires were predators and warriors—not maidservants!

In fact, the purplette was crouching in front of the library doors, practically _begging _the human to emerge.

Konan had seen enough.

~o~

Ino had been holed up in the library for two days and she knew Anko was probably beside herself with concern.

Konan seemed concerned, too… If her curt words about the many priceless books held within this wondrous room were anything to go by.

The blonde didn't understand why they didn't just barge in, guns blazing as the saying went, but she was thankful that Anko respected her enough to give her some space. For the moment, she was fed—though never near the precious paperbacks—and the books contained a wealth of knowledge—especially about vampires.

She refused to speak to Anko, because, well, she was hurt. Everything in the books confirmed Sakura's harsh words.

To tell the truth, she thought that believing in the purple-haired vampire so completely was the most pathetic thing she had ever done. Why had she done it? Why on Earth hadn't she questioned these so-called dreams or even talked to someone about them?

Vampires were very much real, as it turned out. What was she going to do? She couldn't stay in the library forever.

In fact, Anko had started to beg for a chance to explain herself. It was only a matter of time before she lost patience.

Ino had heard enough.

(break)

The library doors swung open and Ino was faced with a kneeling Anko and the bottom of one of Konan's combat boots. She stumbled backwards and would have fallen had the purplette not moved far faster than any mortal creature and caught her.

"Ino…" The relief in her voice made the blonde's ire waver a bit.

"I hope you have not damaged my books," Konan deadpanned, stepping past her.

Ino bristled. "I didn't. I just read them." Her ire returned with a vengeance and she rounded on Anko who had the decency to look cowed. "You… Why did you lie to me? Why am I even here—as a plaything?"

There was a scoff from behind her. "Do not flatter yourself."

"You're my friend, Ino," Anko said softly. "I wanted to keep you safe."

Another scoff from behind them, though the bluette refrained from commenting.

"By forcing thoughts into my head?"

"I—"

"What else have you been lying to me about, Anko?"

"Nothing."

Blue eyes narrowed. "What have you omitted?"

"Oh God, you've been reading," she joked weakly.

"_Anko._"

A groan. "Someone else has been in your head. I can't be sure who it was or what they did, but that's reason enough to keep you close."

"That's ridiculous! What if the vampire didn't have malevolent intentions? Your kind aren't supposed to kill—"

"I erased your memory," Konan interrupted, cool as a cucumber.

Ino's jaw dropped. "You… what?"

She had stumbled upon such a thing in her reading, but she would never have considered…

The blonde stormed over to where Konan was and got as close to the bluette's face as she dared. "Give it back."

Dark blue orbs blinked slowly. "Brave or stupid—which are you?"

"You… Bitch!" As Ino lifted her hand to slap the woman across her face, she was suddenly rendered unable to breathe properly by the hand around her throat.

"You are in no position to make demands or threats, human. Know your place."

"Konan," Anko warned.

A split second later, Ino's backside met the hard wood floor and she struggled to take in a lungful of air.

"Why did you take her memory, Konan? I knew nothing of this."

"She was a possible threat to the race that I eliminated."

Ino rubbed her neck and glared spitefully at the bluette. "You had no right."

"You read my books,"—her tone was condescending—"thus you understand that I acted as my kind should." The blonde's eyes narrowed, but she simply clenched her jaw and looked away. "As I thought. You think me some monster, but I act for the good of my people."

With that, she swept out of the room.

* * *

Konan balled her hands into fist as she prowled through the halls of her home. She felt like striking something; destroying something; anything that had to do with hurting.

It didn't matter if it was herself or someone else.

She had to get out of here. What was once her sanctuary felt like a prison with that blonde human within its walls.

Who was _she_ to judge Konan?

The bluette had done what she must to ensure the survival of her family. Surely that could be understood by any living creature—but especially by humans.

Who was_ she_ to judge Konan?

Sakura wordlessly fell into step beside her, her own eyebrows drawn with annoyance. They were linked now, bound by blood and memories. It struck her now how similar the human and the Fledgling were.

_/There was a sharp sound as the bone broke._

_Tears welled up and the girl whimpered. "You...bitch!"/_

If left alone she would, in time, probably regain her intense fascination with Ino. With a little guidance, however…

She didn't want the Fledgling to make the same mistake she had.

Who was_ she_ to judge Konan?

Filthy human.

~o~

Anko's hands were cold against Ino's skin as she touched the human's neck to assess for damage. When the blonde flinched, brown eyes widened with concern. "Where hurts?"

"It doesn't hurt," Ino replied, her voice a little breathy. When Anko quirked an eyebrow, she gestured dismissively. "Can you, um, fix my brain?"

"I don't think anyone can." It took the blonde a moment to realize her companion was joking. "You already know about us, so… **Remember**."

Ino was instantly hit with a migraine and her temples throbbed with her pulse. She swayed on her feet and would have fallen if the purplette hadn't been there.

"What… did… you…?"

Memories flooded in as though a dam had broken.

/_"I love you, Konan," the orange-haired male whispered. No matter what."/_

'_Huh?'_

_/__"Miss Ino, would you mind coming with me?" Konan's lips twitched in the approximation of a smile. "I'd like your help with something."/_

_Ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump…_

_/Fear. Her heart beat. Babump-babump- babump- babump!/_

_Ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump…_

/ _Shadowy figures circled her, occasionally striking each other. The smaller of the two came flying at her and—/_

_Ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump…_

_/__Deidara was a walking away from her a few paces off and, slung over his shoulder, was a struggling Sakura./_

_Ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump…_

_/_ _"I thank you for your help in capturing her," Konan continued, her face expressionless. "Unfortunately, you have outlived your usefulness."/_

_Babump-babump- babump- babump…!_

Ino started awake to the feel of fingers running through her hair. "Head… hurts…" she mumbled. She parted her lips obediently when a cup was held up to her lips only to turn her head away at the warm, thick fluid that met them.

"**Drink.**"

The blonde went stock still and she swore her heart skipped a beat.

It was then that she noticed the stench of copper; her eyes fluttered open to find Anko leaning over her.

"Trust me, Ino," the purplette murmured.

Compelled by a mixture of her tone and _compulsion_, the blonde parted her lips and allowed the warmth to slide down her throat and fill her body with warmth.

"Good girl," Anko crooned. She turned her attention to the wide slash across her forearm and lapped along it, her saliva working to seal it up. "Everything will be better now, Ino. You'll see."

~o~

"Sakura."

The pinkette bowed her head obediently. "My lady?"

For a moment, the bluette wavered.

_/"You… Bitch!"/_

"My lady?" Sakura repeated.

She was a good little soldier, now. As it should be.

Then why did it feel so wrong?

"It is time to Feed."

"Yes, My Lady."

Sakura vaulted over the edge of the roof and landed five stories down, the concrete caving in with her weight. Her nostrils flared as she scented, her head snapping to the left as she caught a tantalizing smell.

Her body blurred as she darted forward, her heels leaving furrows in the ground as she slowed herself.

"What the fu—"

With a low sound, the Fledgling latched on to the man's throat and began to drink. The blows to her torso became weaker as did his pulse. The smell and warmth of him was intoxicating and she flexed her jaw, shifting her way closer to his jugular.

His pulse was a mere flicker when a firm grip on her shoulder made her hiss and jerk away.

"Enough." Konan said, her voice muted by the '_fwump' _of a body hitting the concrete.

Instantly, Sakura stood at attention. "My apologies, My Lady. I was overeager."

The bluette closed her eyes, her mind wandering. Sakura's newfound obedience was a product of the blood that they shared and that was all. It would wear off eventually.

She was like an infant at this moment and her critical period was right now.

"There is no need to apologize, child. Come. You have much to learn."

**-End Chapter-**


	12. The Test

So here's to the promise of glamorous living,  
You must drink up now, cause it's all that you're getting  
If you haven't been tested, you certainly will…  
And I promise it's going to kill

—The Classic Crime

**-The Test-**

Anko was gone.

She had been gone for a few hours now, leaving Ino to brood in her room by her lonesome.

Anko was gone, but she had left something behind: her blood.

And it was running through Ino; she could feel it like molten gushing through her veins with each pump of her heart.

It was as though her skin was a size too small and she really needed to shed it before something _awful _happened. She could feel it in her gut.

Ino shifted and it felt as though everything around her was moving as well—only in slow motion. She closed her eyes and breathed in, wondering if maybe Anko had just drugged her.

Upon reopening them, the room seemed sharper—more real.

It was disconcerting to say the least.

For a split second, she thought she heard footsteps… But that was impossible. Vampires glided soundlessly across the floor.

Nevertheless, the door swung open the moment the footsteps stopped and in came Deidara. His eyes narrowed slightly and his nostrils flared as he met her gaze. "Anko… She has left already?"

The girl nodded.

The vampire blinked. Slowly. "Have you… Are you…" He blinked again, uncharacteristically struggling with whatever it was he wanted to say. "How are you?" he settled on.

"I'm fine," she responded. "Why?"

"You seem," he canted his head to the right, "different."

"How so?"

Deidara shook his head. "I have not the time for this. Lady Konan sent me in search of Anko and she is not here. I must report to her immediately."

Before Ino could protest, he swept out of the room.

_Okay… _She thought. _Was it just me or was he avoiding the question?_

* * *

The house was deserted, it seemed. Or, at least, no one was polite enough to answer her calls.

The blonde sighed dejectedly and wrapped her arms around herself. "Geez, this place is creepy…"Suddenly, she stopped, taking in her surroundings for the first time since she had begun her mindless wandering. "Darn it."

This particular hallway lead to a forbidden part of the house—she knew this only because Konan had pinned her to a wall and delivered a this-place-is-off-limits-to-your-kind speech in a cold, annoyed voice.

Just like she had done when the blonde had journeyed down to the basement and to the forbidden west wing in her explorations.

It was really getting old.

Still… It didn't look like the bluette was there at the moment, so why not? She started walking again, her footsteps eerily loud in the narrow corridor. Finally, she came to… a dead end?

_Weird. _

Going on a hunch (and perhaps too many horror films), the blonde pressed her hands to the wall and drew them along the rough stone surface.

_Bingo! _A panel in the wall sunk inward, activating whatever mechanics that drew the entire wall away. The passage beyond it was dark, lacking the torches that graced the walls periodically throughout the rest of the house.

She turned back and wrested one from the wall, struggling under its weight for a moment before finding her balance and making her way into the dark.

~o~

Sakura's eyes fluttered open. _Where…? _She shut them moments later and winced as her temples throbbed unpleasantly.

Moments passed before she dared to try again, managing this time to sit up despite the aching cranium. She was in her bed? No… This bed wasn't hers.

How did she get there? And, more importantly, what had she been doing _before_ somehow arriving in bed?

The night before was a blur of colours and sounds with no solid image to answer the questions buzzing around her head. _Ugh…_

Swinging her legs gingerly over the side of the bed, the pinkette rubbed her eyes and yawned. Despite the headache… She felt good. It was odd, really. She rose but soon found that her legs would not support her weight and would have fallen had someone not caught her. "Were you watching me sleep?" she asked, not surprised by her companion's presence.

"My Lady wished for me to monitor you." _Of course._

"I'm fine," she retorted, more out of irritation than honesty. Why wasn't her body cooperating?

"You Fed on your own last night," Sasori informed her, placing a hand at the back of her knees and scooping her up. He headed for the door. "Lady Konan is pleased with your progress."

Funny… She didn't remember feeding. "My head hurts."

"That will fade," the red-head said calmly. "Your body is accustomed to the blood bags which are a blood substitute. Drinking as much blood as you did for the very first time—"

"So, basically, I'm hung-over," Sakura deadpanned.

"I suppose you could say that."

They walked across marble tiles that reflected the light from the chandelier above

"If you had Fed earlier, you would not have gorged yourself," Konan said, appearing out of thin air as she usually did. "You should feel calmer, now. Less likely to perform a foolish act, in any case."

She was right—normally, Sakura would have bristled at her condescending tone. "Where are we?"

"We are here to meet with the Council. You are to bathe and dress, then go to the meeting chamber immediately."

The Council. A cold shiver worked its way down Sakura's spine. The last time she had been here…

_/__ Sakura shifted, eyes unnaturally large. "D-don't… Please don't hurt me."_

"_Be at ease, little sister. You are safe… For now." /_

"Why does the Council want to see me?" she couldn't keep the tremor from her voice and Konan arched an eyebrow in response.

"They wish to see your progress as a Fledgling. As soon as they deem you ready, you will be inducted properly into our ranks with a blood ritual."

"Trust me… All things will be easier once you are fully considered a vampire." She nodded, firmly wanting to believe him. Sasori set her down, his hand remaining on her arm to steady her. "Come, I will show you the way."

~o~

Ino really wished there was someone to show her the way right about now because she was quite lost.

No, really, the place was a maze and she wasn't exactly sure how to get out. She had no doubt that she'd be able to wander aimlessly for days in the gigantic Tsuki Manor.

_This is what happens when you don't follow the rules, Yamanaka. What were you thinking? This is a vampire's castle nonetheless. A v-a-m-p-i-r-e! She'd rip my head off if she knew I was down here._

Something caught her foot and she stumbled, nearly losing her grip on the only light-source in this damnable pit. Further inspection revealed that it was—

Ino's heart stuttered in alarm.

-bones!

She took a few hurried steps backward and crashed into a wall, the force of the impact making her ears ring.

_That's going to bruise._

The blonde slumped and slid down the wall. "Okay," she called, hoping that maybe a certain frigid vampire was just being particularly sadistic. "I learned my lesson! A little help, please?"

When her voice finally stopped echoing, the girl sighed dejectedly. _Damnit._

(break)

After what felt like hours later (when in fact it was more like forty five minutes), Ino finally stumbled upon a door.

Stumbled _into _it, actually—which was the only reason she knew the _black _door was there and not a part of the surrounding darkness.

The girl rubbed her nose wearily and wondered how much more damage she would suffer during this little exploration. Then, she reached out and pressed her palm to the door and found it cold to the touch. "I wonder what it's made of?" she mused. Lifting the torch a little higher, she saw that there were a set of bars along the top.

And attached to the bars was a small slip of paper bearing an elegant complicated pattern in thick silver ink. She reached up to touch it only to yelp as a tendril of silver lashed out at her outstretched hand.

_What the—?_

"What are you doing down here?" Deidara hissed. "Lady Konan told you that this wing is prohibited."

Busted.

~o~

"Do you mind?" Sakura asked, face hot.

Sasori tilted his head inquisitively, dark brown eyes not shifting from his ward. "Mind?"

"You're staring." She crossed her arms protectively over her chest. "It's making me uncomfortable."

"Pay no attention to me," the red-head replied calmly, his gaze never wavering. It was discomfiting. "Our kind makes the habit of staring… It is in our nature to be predatory."

She sighed and stepped out the water, murmuring her thanks to Sasori as she accepted the towel he offered.

When he gestured for her to sit at his feet, she did so wordlessly. A soft, pleased sound left her as he procured a brush and began working through her hair.

* * *

Konan entered the meeting chamber with Sakura in tow, her senses spreading out to take in her surroundings.

Before them were five figures sitting at a semi-circular stone table—the Vampire Council.

The ranks increased from the flanks to the center: to the outer right was a masked man green pupil-less eyes, a white hood setting him apart from the pure black red-trimmed robes of the other members—_Councilman_ _Kakuzu_.

To the outer left was a hunched figure with a plant-like structure that surrounded his head. His hood was drawn upwards, but Konan knew from experience that the left side of his face was black, the eye a single vertical oval without a pupil or iris, while the right was white—_Councilman Zetsu._

At the inner left sat a bored looking man with slicked back silver hair. The moment purple orbs spotted Konan, a wolfish smile spread across his face, his canines glinting in the low light. She bristled—_Councilman Hidan_.

At the inner right was a tall, muscular blue-skinned man. Fin-like dark blue hair jutted over circular white eyes and what looked like gills under them. As he spoke to his fellow Councilmen, one could see sharp, triangular teeth reminiscent of a shark's—_Councilman Kisame._

And to the center was a pale man with dark silky hair that fell into intense red eyes. He looked up at their entrance and inclined his head respectfully—_Lord Itachi Uchiha._

Brother of the Rogue, Sasuke Uchiha.

He ruled over all vampires from Amegakure, knowing all and seeing all.

Beside her, Sakura trembled, her emotions a jumble of fear and apprehension; the bluette rested a hand on her shoulder in an uncharacteristically comforting gesture.

"Tsuki Coven head Konan Tsuki—fifth in line and pure of blood," Itachi said, his voice a low rumble. "And Tsuki Coven member Sasori Akasuna—third in line and pure of blood. Welcome." His gaze flicked to Sakura. "Ah. And…"

"Fledgling Sakura Haruno—first in line and newly Turned, My Lord," Sakura said, barely managing to keep the tremor from her voice.

His lips thinned into a line. "You are the one my brother Turned."

Hidan leaned back in his plush chair and made a dismissive gesture. "That female? Did we not discuss this already? Kill her."

"I will not allow any hasty decisions to be made," Itachi returned. "We are not here to discuss her fate, but to decide whether or not she is worthy of being accepted into our ranks."

"Should she fail," Zetsu added, "She will be destroyed."

"**An unfortunate fate**," he muttered, his voice growing darker.

"This is a waste of time," Kakuzu huffed, crossing his arms. He and Hidan, being from a younger generation, were the only ones who spoke the modern vernacular.

"Enough." All eyes went to the Uchiha. "Let the test begin."

* * *

Sakura's breathing was ragged as she slumped, blood leaking from the corner of her mouth.

They had tested her strength…

_/ Kisame's giant sword crashed downwards; it was met by Sakura's upturned hands._

_Warm blood wet her palms and wrists as the rough, scaly surface of the Elder's weapon rubbed against her flesh. _

_She sucked in a sharp breath, pushing with all her strength._

"_Well done," Kisame complimented, glancing down as his feet slid backwards. /_

They had tested her will…

_/ The human girl trembled, her eyes huge as the pinkette loomed over her._

_The vampire inhaled, nostrils flaring as her canines dropped. 'Hungry…'_

_She balled up her fists, newly formed claws digging into her palms. 'No…!'_

_Zetsu smiled pleasantly, his half-white half-black face the picture of innocence, and drew a line of blood across the woman's collarbone with a knife made of glass. "You wish to Feed, no? Feed."_

_Sakura buried her face in the woman's neck, relishing in the terrified whimper it brought._

_All she had to do was open her mouth a little…_

_With a growl, the pinkette jerked backwards. "No."/_

And now they were testing her perception and speed: she had to get passed her attacker in one piece.

"Come out, come out wherever you are!" Hidan called. The sound of metal on metal was probably from that odd tri-blade scythe she had seen him with before dodging behind a stand of trees.

They had moved outside, to the wooded lot just behind the castle. There was a stream winding through the trees a few yards away from what she could hear… And Hidan was closing in, circling her like a wolf on the hunt.

How was she going to get away?

The pinkette made a dash in the stream's direction, the wind whistling in her ears as her body blurred.

From a viewing platform at the top of one of the castle's towers, Konan shook her head. "Bad move," she murmured.

Sure enough, Sakura went flying backwards, her ears ringing from the force of Hidan's knee as it met her her stomach. She managed to catch a tree branch and swung around to perch on the slender foothold like a bird.

Hidan was grinning, spinning his scythe around in a blur of red. "I spy with my little eye…" Suddenly, he was gone. "A little bird," his voice completed a second later, too close to her for comfort.

The pinkette nearly fell in her haste to move from where she was, yelping a moment later as the tree she had been perched in split in two and crashed to the forest floor, knocking its leafy brethren over in the process.

The girl curled into a ball, hurtling forward as far as she could before landing in a hand-stand and pushing off.

Hidan landed in a crater just behind her seconds later, grinning from ear to ear. "Come back, little bird… I just want to cut you to pieces!"

His next swing laid open a bloody wound in her side and as she pressed her hand to it to staunch the flow of blood, there was one thought on her mind: _I'm going to die._

Her target seemed miles away and this madman was so close…

Sasori frowned minutely. "Should we not intervene?"

"For what reason?" Itachi asked.

"It looks as though Councilman Hidan will—" Konan lifted a hand and he fell silent.

"What Sasori means to say is that Sakura has already proven her worth by evading… Councilman Hidan for as long as she has. There is no need to continue this."

Itachi made a thoughtful sound. "Kisame?"

"She is strong, My Lord."

Zetsu bobbed his head. "Of mind as well."

"Very well." He raised his voice, "Fledgling Sakura Haruno…"

She scrambled to her feet, narrowly avoiding being skewered.

"…As of today, you are a true vampire…"

Hidan's eyes glowed as he leaped, all three blades on a downward arc to destroy his target.

"…Your trial is a success."

With a disappointed sigh, the male diverted his attack a few centimeters off, embedding his blades into the earth. It managed to nick Sakura and a few drops of her blood painted the ground below her red.

Cautiously, green eyes opened. "I… pass?"

"Humph. Yeah, you heard the man."

Sasori breathed a barely audible sigh of relief. "She passed."

**-End Chapter-**

Please excuse any typos as this is pure, un-beta'd **Distraction **xD Let me know what you think~


	13. Initiation

_OH! Master grant me your knowledge__  
__OH! Master grant me your power__  
__Take me and teach me your ways__  
__I will serve you forever_

-Inquisition

**-Initiation-**

The room was vast, its middle lit with a ring of candles that created a circle of light about three yards in diameter. Despite the draft that tossed her ceremonial blood red cape (Sakura thought the thing to be a bit cliché), the flames never wavered.

There was a pedestal in the middle of the ring and, at its base, a knife with an ornate handle rested on a pillow.

Though the place had seemed empty, two figures materialized the moment Sakura entered the ring of candles: Itachi Uchiha and Kisame—the former naked from the waist up, his pale skin practically glowing in the low light.

"Welcome, Fledgling," Kisame rasped as she approached. When she kneeled before them as she had been instructed to by Konan earlier, he reached for the knife. "Are you prepared?"

"I am prepared… To offer my entire being for the betterment of our race."

Itachi's gaze was crimson, intense. "Are you certain?"

"I am certain…I am strong, intelligent, and pure of blood. I am willing and able-bodied." The pinkette straightened her spine, nervousness adding a tremor to her voice despite her best efforts. "I desire to be as you are, my lords."

"Very well." Kisame drew the knife across his wrist and Sakura was struck by the scent of ancient blood; like wine, blood became richer over time and Hunger clawed at her with an intensity she had never experienced.

Still, the girl didn't move, held in place by Itachi's terrifying stare.

"Drink, child," Kisame commanded, kneeling so that her smaller form was on level with his much larger one.

His blue-tinted skin was rough against her lips as she latched on to the source of the blood—so dark red that it was nearly black—and began to drink. Each pull sent a wave of molten heat crashing through her veins and her body felt lighter and heavier all at once. She began to tremble, her skin felt tight.

When a hand rested on her shoulder, presumably to stop her, a low growl rumbled out of her throat. She didn't want to stop. She _couldn't _stop—the scent and taste were simply too incredible.

It was like eating and smelling all her favorite things at once and it threatened to overwhelm her senses.

Then, another scent hit her. One that was even more addictive than Kisame's. She recoiled from him, her movements jerky and erratic as she lurched towards its source: Itachi had opened his vein.

His blood was actually black, drip-dripping down his pale skin like ink across paper. Her nostrils flared, pupils dilated and fangs extending as she rounded on the male.

_Hungry._

* * *

On the other side of the door leading to the ceremonial chamber, Konan and Sasori stood on either side of the hall—the former slouching against the wall and the latter standing stock-still like a suit of armor.

"My Lady..." Sasori began, breaking the silence that had reigned for the past hour. "It feels as though more time has passed than is necessary."

The bluette nodded, but she didn't open her eyes. "We can only wait."

The room was as impregnable as a tank—no one was getting in or out unless the head of the Council willed it.

Half an hour passed before the door swung open. Instantly, the two stiffened as the scent of the blood of two ancients rolled out.

Itachi was the first to emerge, his skin even paler than normal. He had scratches all over her chest, their healing slowed by blood loss. Then came Kisame, his expression grim.

He paused between the two representatives of the Tsuki Coven and said, "It is done" before following after his superior.

Their eyes went from the male to the empty doorway when Sakura entered the hallway. The pinkette stood taller, her skin a porcelain mask of tranquility despite the blood under her nails and around her mouth.

She made a beeline for Sasori, her gait steady and soundless. She collapsed into his arms a moment later.

~o~

Ino woke with a start, yelping in alarm as her sleepy mind registered the lithe figure looming above her. "Deidara, you scared the crap out of me!"

"Lady Konan is returning. She wishes for a bath to be drawn."

At his expectant look, she scowled. "Excuse me? It's—" she looked at the clock "—Three in the morning! Can't you do it?"

The blonde tilted his head. "That is your task, Miss Yamanaka. It would be best that you did as you were told." It wasn't a threat, but merely his opinion.

With a groan, the girl got up and headed for the bathroom at a trot (the floors were freezing).

It took her a few minutes to run the water, add the bath salts, and set out linens and a few more minutes for Konan to join her.

"How was your trip?" the blonde asked, genuinely curiously. They had all randomly disappeared.

"Fine," was the curt response. She paid no heed to her companion as she shed her clothes and Ino couldn't help but admire the hour-glass form before averting her eyes politely, her cheeks ablaze.

When Konan turned to get in, clear blue eyes returned to wander the expanse of her back: there were wings tattooed across her shoulders, the wings cradling a rose; its thorny vine wound along her spine.

The vampire sank into the water with a weary sigh, her gaze trained on the waterfall directly across from the steps she sat on. "Your task is complete. Leave me."

Any other person would have gladly retreated to their bed, but Ino hesitated. "You seem a little stressed… Do you want to talk about it?" The flat look she received made her flinch. "Or not…"

The bluette stared at her for a heartbeat longer before returning her attention to the waterfall. "You may remain if you wish."

* * *

They had been sitting in silence for nearly half an hour as Konan soaked before, finally, the female made an impatient sound and lifted her hand from the water, a loofah clutched between her fingers. "Wash my back."

Ino blinked, unsure if she had heard correctly. When dark blue orbs remained on her, steady and intense, she reached out and took the proffered bathing utensil and moved behind the woman, slipping her feet into the warm water.

She dragged it over the other woman's back, silently marveling over the sinewy muscle that coiled under the flawless skin… Like a big cat.

In fact, a quiet purr was rumbling in the vampire's throat and she tilted her head forward, some of the tension leaving her shoulders.

Something about this was uncomfortably… intimate.

When the loofah fell still, Konan's shoulders tightened again. "Leave me…"

This time, Ino didn't disobey.

* * *

From that point on, when Ino was commanded to draw Konan a bath, she was also expected to help Konan bathe.

They would sit in silence, the bluette crooning happily as Ino's fingers worked shampoo through her hair or scrubbed soap over her weary muscles.

At first, the blonde felt… used. Like the maidservant of some rich mistress.

But as time passed, the vampire slowly became kinder. The deeds started out small…

_/ Ino grunted, her face flush with effort. "I can't do this," she huffed, finally releasing the incredibly heavy ornate vase she had been struggling with for the last fifteen minutes. She was trying to redecorate her room to something more modern (because, if she was spending most of her time in it, she might as well love the way it looked) and it wasn't going the way she wanted to._

_It seemed Konan or whoever designed the house had a thing for ancient, massive, overly-complex decorative objects._

_The blonde sighed then, yelped as a pale hand rested right next to hers. _

"_Do you require assistance?" Konan inquired. Ino gaped as she lifted the vase easily, hefting it up with one hand. /_

And got progressively larger…

_/ Ino had finally been allowed to return to school so long as one of her new vampire friends were monitoring her (she caught a glimpse of Deidara or Sasori leaning up against something our crouching on the roof of some building in a dramatically cliché manner every so often) and she was certainly enjoying the sort-of freedom._

_She hadn't realized how much she had missed the normalcy of her life until she had returned to it._

"_Ino-babe!" Temari squealed, latching onto her friend. "Omigod, I haven't seen you in ages! How was your stay with Anko? I mean, I know she's a good friend, but I'm shocked my favorite hardworking blondie took time from school to go all the way to Amegakure for some shopping."_

"_Shopping?" Ino repeated blankly. "Oh! With Anko… Right."_

_The pair mounted a set of stairs with Temari in the lead. "Buy anything for me?"_

"_Er…" At that moment, someone brushed by Ino and she missed a step, losing her balance and falling backwards. She gritted her teeth, bracing herself for impact._

_A pair of strong arms wrapped around her and her head rested against someone's collarbone as she was enveloped in the scent of vanilla. The blonde opened an eye cautiously and was stunned to see Konan. _

_The vampire's eyes were darker than usual, her eyebrows drawn slightly together. "You should take care."_

"_Ino!" Temari called, racing down the steps. She stopped dead as she saw the bluette looming over her friend. "Whoa…"_

_Konan set the girl down and straightened and Ino noticed what she was wearing for the first time: in place of her usual cloak was a black turtleneck and loose jeans._

_Even dressed casually, the way she carried herself made the woman stand out._

"_Th-thank you," Ino stuttered, finally managing to find her tongue after moments of staring. _

_The bluette nodded curtly in acknowledgment and turned to leave._

"_Who was _that_?" Temari asked, as the blonde joined her. _

_Ino frowned slightly, an unfamiliar feeling filling her chest at the sandy-blonde's awed tone. "Don't you have a girlfriend?"_

_Cue puppy-eyes. /_

~o~

Sakura stretched, her muscles screaming in protest at the motion. She had been sleeping for the past month, waking only to sip blood from a mug that Sasori held up to her lips or to vomit into the basin by her bed.

This time felt different—her stomach didn't churn as though it were trying to dispel everything she had eaten over the past few years and it didn't feel like she was wading through lead with each movement.

In fact, she felt… great. Despite the cramped muscles, she felt as though she could do anything.

"Ah. Awake at last."

The pinkette glanced over at Anko and smiled slightly. "What time is it?"

"9PM. For the next few years, your biological clock is going to be haywire. And I mean completely bat shit insane.

"Comforting," Sakura remarked dryly.

"Oh, that isn't the worst part! Your body's gonna go through some weird ass changes, too. It'll be like a horror movie up in this bitch." She cackled.

The pinkette rolled her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

The purplette's grin was pure, unadulterated mischief. "We're going on a hunt, my friend."

"A hunt?"

"Yup." Anko held up an official looking scroll, twirling it between her fingertips. " Lord Itachi Uchiha wants the Rogue Sasuke's head."

**-End Chapter-**

Mmph. It's late, I know, but better late than never.

It's also unbeta'd (goddamn it.)

School is killing me -.- so enjoy the updates while you can. Hit the button below and let me know what you think, plox.


	14. Here it Goes Again

Shape-shifting, mutha-fuckas! Hahaha~ Still no beta… You have been warned. By the way, what is up with the doc manager? I couldn't edit to my liking -.- You might notice the (break)s

_Just when you think that you're in control,__  
__Just when you think that you've got a hold,__  
__Just when you get on a roll,__  
__Here it goes, here it goes, here it goes again.__  
__Oh, here it goes again.__  
__I should have known,__  
__Should have known,__  
__Should have known again,__  
__But here it goes again.__  
__Oh, here it goes again._

—OK GO

**-Here it Goes Again-**

"_Vampires possess the unique ability to shed their forms and take on that of a lesser creature*. Shape-shifting usually occurs only in moments of intense emotion such as anger or bloodlust, though there have been cases that have been linked to lust. _

_*With time, it becomes impossible to utilize a different form than the one most often used, thus it is advised that Fledglings choose a single form."_

"_Any _animal?"

"Yup. Pretty useful."

"What are you, Anko?"

A laugh. "You'd better hope you never find out."

"Konan?"

"Mmm?"

Ino lowered her eyes and toed the ground. "Can I ask you something?"

(break)

They were outside in the garden, the bluette leaning in the shade as her human companion tended to the flowers. When the girl had asked her to help, she had received a derisive look—as though the task was incredibly beneath her and it was silly of the blonde to even ask.

The garden was usually tended by little robots Sasori had built, but Konan had dismissed them when Ino had asked if she could use it.

It was just one of the little things the vampire did that showed she cared.

"What is it?" Her tone was brusque, flat, but Ino knew it was merely an act. If the woman really wanted to, she could easily have disregarded the question.

"There's a, um, trip coming up. Me and a couple of the girls are going to Amegakure for a weekend and I thought maybe you'd like to come…?"

Dark blue eyes flicked to the sky and she didn't answer right away. Swallows flitted overhead, their sweet birdsong washing over the women.

Ino's heart constricted with anticipation.

Then, "I will think on it."

~o~

It took only a week for the "kick-ass squad of vamps" (as Anko referred to them) to assemble.

It was around 4AM when Sakura wandered downstairs to find pale, statuesque people crowded into the living room, murmuring amongst themselves.

She stopped, stunned, some primal part of her set on edge by so many predators in one place.

"Pinky! Over here!"

The pinkette zeroed in on Anko and was at her side in an instant, set at ease by the female's familiarity. She accepted the mug of blood she was offered and nursed it as she listened to the purplette exchange pleasantries with a tall man with spiky silver hair and an eye patch.

"And who is this lovely creature?"

She stood up a bit straighter, taken by this handsome man. "Er, Fledgling Sakura Haruno, my lord." She sketched a quick bow as etiquette dictated and a smile quirked the edges of his mouth.

"I am Kakashi Hatake. Fifth in line and pure of blood. How, pray tell, did Anko capture such an exquisite flower?"

She blushed. "Umm…"

"Back off, Kakashi," Anko harrumphed. "You may be one of our best hunters, but that doesn't mean you can go around picking up tail as you please."

"'Tail'?" He arched an eyebrow. "I assure you, my intentions are pure."

Another man came over and punched Kakashi in the arm. He was rough looking—the only vampire with facial hair—and a cigarette hung from his lips. "You should take heed of Anko's orders, Kakashi," he chuckled. "She could best any man in combat."

"Your attention, if you will." It was said quietly, but everyone turned to look at Konan, who had moved to the center of the room at some point. She smelled faintly of—

_/ A slim blonde girl with clear blue eyes flashed a megawatt grin and Sakura felt her heart skip a beat./_

Emerald orbs narrowed. Why did that scent trouble her so?

"Sasuke Uchiha is a dangerous Rogue who needs to be eliminated. Tonight, we hunt!"

(break)

Even after scouring Konoha and the city over, there was no trace of Sasuke Uchiha.

Konan was strangely upset; she kept clenching and unclenching her fists, her nostrils flaring. They arrived at the manor late that night and dismissed the gathering. Ino had come running out only to skid to a halt a few feet from Konan and clasp her hands together nervously—as though she was resisting the urge to throw her arms around the bluette.

Konan had nodded curtly then swept up the stairs, most likely on her way to her study to brood, with the blonde trailing behind her like a lost puppy.

How cute.

The pinkette wrinkled her nose, part of her disgusted at the fascination she had once held for that—that _human_.

She entered the kitchen, teeth aching, and was surprised to find Anko and Kakashi bent over what appeared to be a map. The purplette looked up at her entry, dark brown eyes a crazed amber swirl.

"Hungry?" A nod. "Same here. Wanna hunt?"

Though her stomach protested at the thought of hunting down yet another innocent person, Sakura nodded, more for desire to spend time with the woman who had taken her under her wing than anything.

~o~

"I wish you would talk to me…"

No response.

The blonde pouted and fluttered her eyelashes. "Please…?"

No response. Not even a glance.

The blonde sighed. Normally that routine worked with Temari, but maybe that was because she was into tits.

"Konan… Please?"

At last, dark blue eyes flicked over to the girl. They had gotten closer in the recent weeks, but it still made Ino's heart pound fearfully when that intense gaze focused on her though she knew the vampire wouldn't hurt her. Or… At least she didn't think the female would.

"I will go with you."

_Go with…?_ A grin spread across Ino's face as realization sunk in. "Awesome!"

(break)

Her cheeks hurt from refraining from smiling—Konan was simply adorable.

The bluette was currently leaning away from the puppy Temari was holding out for her approval with an uncomfortable expression on her face. The furry little creature was licking her arm, tail wagging enthusiastically.

"C'mon, Icy, pet him! The little guy loves you." The sandy blonde had Anko's penchant for nicknaming those she liked and she was definitely a fan of the beautiful vampire.

"I do not think that is necessary—"

"C'moooooonnn. He won't bite."

"Temari," Ino began, finally coming to the bluette's rescue. "Leave Konan alone. Go molest your girl."

The aforementioned brunette took her cue and captured her girlfriend's wrist. "C'mon, babe, I want to go try on new bras." To which the girl plopped the pooch down and followed obediently.

"Your companions are strange," Konan muttered, a look of bewilderment interrupting her normal stoicism.

Ino couldn't stop herself; she was already in motion before the idea had even fully formed in her mind: she leaned forward and kissed Konan on the cheek.

Instantly, the vampire was recoiling, her eyebrows drawn together over eyes that were a swirl of fathomless blues. Before the panicked apologies could leave her mouth, a hand was clasping the nape of Ino's neck and jerking her forward until they were nose to nose.

"You…"

_/ He kissed her on the cheek, his own cheeks on fire. His lips were chapped and slightly rough against her skin, gentle as a butterfly lighting on a flower. _

"_Konan…" When he spoke, his lips brushed against her. "I love you." /_

Ino squeaked as their lips crashed together, an insistent tongue pressing to the seam of her lips until she parted them with a gasp to allow it to plunder the depths of her oral cavern.

Her head was spinning—both with intoxication and with confusion—when Konan pulled back, that unbreakable grip shifting down towards her—

"I-Ino?"

Temari's shocked tone broke whatever spell the vampire had fallen under and the female jerked away as though she had been burned.

Her eyelids fluttered shut and, when they opened, they were crimson with gold flecks.

And, in the next moment, she was gone.

~o~

_Crack!_

Rage tore through Konan's veins, her muscles straining as she lifted her bookcase and its entire collection of literature and forced it into the wall, causing paper to rain down like snow.

_Smash!_

Her nails and the palms of her hands throbbed, the former lengthening and the latter thickening into velvet pads.

A roar welled up in her chest and spilled forth, anger at her inability to control her emotions pouring out in the form of a terrible, terrifying sound.

Her lack of control…

She shed her cloak, the fabric itchy and confining.

Her lapse in judgment…

Her head hurt. Her rear hurt.

The way wet heat pooled—

Pointed cat-like ears shot out of her skull and her tail bone lengthened, blue-black fur spreading down her shoulders and along her spine.

A panther now crouched in the vampire's room, hackles raised as its claws tore into the cloak.

The door opened and in swept Anko. She took one look at the feline and chuckled. "Temper tantrum? Aren't you way too old for this?" Her hackles fell though her tail continued to curl and uncurl. "You wanna talk, kid?"

~o~

"_Hey."_

"Hey."

Awkward pause.

"How's Kirigakure?"

"_Tiresome. There's still so much to do. I'll be home soon, though. How are you? Keeping Temari out of trouble?"_

"I'm…"

_/ Ino squeaked as their lips crashed together, an insistent tongue pressing to the seam of her lips until she parted them with a gasp to allow it to plunder the depths of her oral cavern._

_Her head was spinning—both with intoxication and with confusion—when Konan pulled back, that unbreakable grip shifting down towards her—_

"_I-Ino?" /_

"_Ino? You still there?"_

She shook her head violently to clear it. "Sorry, Shika. I've been—" _Confused… Thrilled? _"—really busy. Temari's got a new girlfriend, though, so it's not up to me to keep her under control anymore."

"_Well that's good, I guess." _There was shouting in the background. "_Troublesome woman," _he mumbled. _"Sorry, Ino, I've got to go. I'll see you soon, okay? We'll catch up."_

"Alright," she responded, only half listening.

"_I love you."_

For a moment, guilt threatened to overwhelm her, her confession of what had happened with Konan earlier welling up in her throat like bile. "I, um, love you, too."

_Click._

(break)

"So how long have you been munching carpet?"

"Don't start with me, Temari." She hadn't seen Konan all week and that worried her. Still… She hadn't been kicked out of the manor which was good, right?

"Me-_ow_." The sandy blonde curled her fingers into pretend claws and hissed like a cat. "Someone's cranky."

"I'm not a lesbian."

A smirk. "Yeah. What you and Konan did was real heterosexual, Ino-babe."

"Get off her back, Kaze," Tayuya grunted. "She isn't like you." There was something about the way she said it that made both blondes look at her. "What?"

"Something you're not telling us, Devil Girl?" The red-head rolled her eyes, but didn't respond, choosing instead to return to perusing her notes." Anyway, as I was saying before I was so _rudely _interrupted: from what I saw, you were pretty into that kiss."

She couldn't help the blush that scorched her cheeks and ears. "I was just surprised."

"Yeah, _okay. _You had to be pretty fucking 'surprised' if her tongue in your mouth made your tongue—"

"_Ladies_!" the teacher barked, effectively startling them into silence.

(break)

Ino groaned, struggling under the weight of her books. She was eager to get inside so she could relax.

She regretted her decision that morning to walk instead of taking her car. "Because it's so nice out," she mocked. "Pah!"

Still… The breeze was nice against her skin.

As she trudged up the driveway, she caught sight of what appeared to be a stable and her eyes lit up. She bustled up to the front porch, plunked her things down on the wrought iron table the vampires sometimes sat around to read and enjoy the weather, and headed over.

There was a corral adjacent to it, the doors opening at half height to allow the horses to poke their heads out; the aforementioned creatures were already looking out, their ears flicking back as they surveyed their visitor curiously.

She approached the largest one first, and reached out gingerly, palm face up. It sniffed her hand then whickered quietly and she stroked its nose. "Hey there, sweetie," she murmured.

The horse to her right whinnied, nostrils flaring, and the blonde looked around to see what was disturbing it only to gasp and stumble into the stall door.

There was a black panther crouching on the dirt path.

The big cat bared its teeth, blue-black pelt rippling over corded muscles, and a growl rolled in its throat like thunder.

Her heart raced, the sound setting off primal instincts that caused panic to narrow her vision to a single point—as though she was going through a tunnel—and her adrenaline to flood her bloodstream.

Unable to handle the stress, she blacked out.

**-End Chapter-**


	15. Night of the Hunter

Fuck me!

No, not literally. That was an exclamation of disgust. I am sooooooo sorry, guys _! I've been super busy with a slew of uninteresting real life things that none of you want to hear about. Thus, without further ado, here is the (short, but) long-awaited next installment!

Honest to God I will break your heart

Tear you to pieces and rip you apart.

—30 Seconds to Mars

**-Night of the Hunter-**

Warm weight was settled on her chest…

Why?

She couldn't remember anything.

Then, it all came rushing back to her and her eyes flew open; her heart caught in her throat when she found that the warmth was the feline from before.

Deep blue eyes—odd for the species, some part of her mind noted—stared into hers with an intelligence that went beyond that of an animal.

A broad tongue swiped over her cheek, and a furry head rubbed against her collar, a deep purr rumbling out of the creature's throat.

"Umm…" She reached up hesitantly and rested her hand on the satiny fur. Evidently, it was friendly.

"Ah, there she is." Anko was heading down the path from the house. Her eyes were a little wide. "Ino… You shouldn't.. You… Eh. Nevermind. Why are you on the ground?" Purple eyebrows drew together. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Is she yours?"

The purplette offered her hand and the panther rose, allowing the vampire to help the blonde to her feet.

Anko grinned, mischief sparkling in her eyes. "You could say that. Hey, wanna go for a ride?"

**Tsuki Manor Grounds Outskirts**

The grounds seemed to go on forever in every direction to meet the horizon, the sun a rosy shade as it dipped to meet it.

They were riding the Clydesdale, Ino sitting side-saddle in front of Anko. The panther could be seen slipping from tree to tree every now and then high up in the branches.

"How're you and Konan? Getting along?" There was growling from overhead and she chuckled.

The blonde's cheeks flamed. "We're, um… Great."

The purplette pressed up against her, shooting a smug look skyward as she did so. "Glad to see you kids getting along at last." There was a lull in which both parties took in their peaceful surroundings. Then, "So, are you into women now or is it just _vampire_ women?

"Anko!"

The vampire cackled. "Honestly, you're so easy to mess with, I—" She broke off, her nostrils flared, lips curling to reveal the pointed tip of a canine.

Just then, the horse reared, nearly throwing of its riders. Ino was jostled roughly and would have fallen off as the creature broke into a dead gallop had Anko's arm not snaked around her waist.

"Konan!" The purplette yelled. "Danger!"

Two forms appeared on either side of the horse, blurred by the speed at which they were moving. Anko jerked the reigns, angling towards the forest and forcing the blur to their right to leap over them to avoid being hit; Ino caught site of the vampire— a pasty gaunt fellow with red eyes that seemed too large for his narrow face—mid-leap.

"C'mon, boy…" Anko muttered, digging her heels into the beast's sides. It leapt a fallen tree and ran all the harder.

"What's happening, Anko?" She understood that they were under attack, but she couldn't comprehend how anyone could have managed to escape the purplette's notice.

Anyone who could get the drop on Anko Mitarashi was pretty damn talented.

"Can you take the reins?"

"What?"

But they were already being pressed into her hands, the vampire throwing herself from the horse to collide with the other unidentified blur.

Snarls and the heavy sound of the forest falling behind them urged the horse to go even faster.

Ino's heart beat erratically as she was jostled roughly by the fleeing beast; she just barely managed to hold on as she cast nervous glances over her shoulder.

It was quiet. Too quiet.

Cliché, but true given the situation.

A roar resounded through the trees, shaking Ino to the bone. That was all the poor horse could take and, with a blood-curdling whinny, it bolted, throwing the blonde from its back.

The _'snap' _as she landed badly and her wrist bent at an unnatural angle was eerily loud in the silence that followed.

The girl came rolling to a halt some feet away from her crash landing and she curled into a protective ball, sobbing and trying very, very hard not to black out.

It was a losing battle: the excitement from her flight and the adrenaline that deadened the pain in her wrist made her heart beat alarmingly fast—like a bird trapped in a cage. She could feel it fluttering under her breast, threatening to give up all together.

Leaves crackled nearby and she stiffened, her breath catching in her throat as though ceasing breathing would somehow shield her from danger.

Footsteps. They were slow, but definitely getting closer.

Drawing upon courage she didn't know she possessed, Ino looked up—

"INO!"

—to see the panther stalking forward, its rear end arched upwards.

Stalking. Hunting.

It took her a moment to realize that she was the one being hunted.

"INO!" Anko called again, bursting into the clearing from between the trees. Her hair was a mess and there were scratches about her torso.

Her eyes were crimson.

She swore, loudly. "Konan, I swear to—I can't handle the both of you!"

_Wait… _Something clicked. "K-Konan?"

The panther paused mid-stride and tilted its head, deep blue eyes far too intelligent to be animal. It was then that Ino realized that it really _was_ the bluette.

But the spell broke. She licked her chops and resumed her intended path, muscles coiling powerfully as it prepared to launch itself and Ino broke out in a cold sweat.

_I'm going to die here. _

Somehow, the thought made Ino's struggling heart slow and she entered a weird kind of calm. The hunted met the eyes of the hunter steadily as the blonde struggled to her feet, hissing in pain as she put weight on her freshly broken wrist.

She stood bravely, ready to accept death.

The set of her shoulder seemed to set Konan off; without warning, she pounced.

The panther was much heavier than she looked, Ino realized, still in that weird state of calmness. The wall of muscle that slammed into her not only knocked her from her feet, but also drove the breath from her lungs. She heard Anko scream her name from somewhere far away, but the sound was dulled by the rush of her own blood in her ears as long, sharp canines tore into her soft skin.

It was like being prodded by hot pokers; like being crushed by an elephant; like getting hit by a semi; like being sliced by a hundred razor sharp blades. All at the same time.

And, suddenly, Ino _wanted _to die.

Before blissful darkness could take her away, however, the big cat was hurled to the side and Anko's face filled her fading line of sight. "Ino! Fucking Christ… Jesus. Fucking. Christ. Don't die on me! You hear me? _**Don't you fucking die**_."

The blonde's eyelashes fluttered weakly and her lips moved slightly, chest inflating as she struggled to produce the sounds necessary for communication. Nothing came out.

_I'm sorry…_

She couldn't feel anymore, her body broken and useless.

_I can't…_

Liquid dripped onto her face, cleaning a trail through the crimson mask and she tried very hard to focus on Anko.

The purplette was crying.

"No…" she whispered. "No… Not like this."

_I'm sorry…_

"KONAN, YOU BITCH, I'LL KILL YOU!"

_What? No—_

"—Don't!" That final, sudden outburst was too much for the blonde to handle.

She blacked out.

**-End chapter-**

I know, I know -.- A cliffhanger. I will update soon-ish! I can't promise it, but I'll try my damndest.

...

Distraction's back(ish)!


	16. Here's to the Past

Let's all think back on what brought us here  
This is my grasp on what is real  
Don't tell me how I feel  
With all that's passed I can't relate  
With myself from day to day  
Why does everything seem so far away to me

—A Day to Remember

**-Here's to the Past-**

_Blip. Blip. Blip. Blip._

That sound was getting way too familiar.

_Blip. Blip. Blip. Blip._

So was waking up in a strange bed.

Ino inhaled deeply, unwittingly filling her lungs on her own for the first time since blacking out. She stretched slightly, then opened her eyes.

And her memory came rushing back.

_/ The fallen leaves were red—not with the season, but with blood._

_Snarling._

Snap!

_Pain._

_Claws, fangs, fur. Endless blue eyes._

_Immeasurable pain._

_Anko screaming her name._

_Darkness. /_

_Enlightening…_

Cautiously, she turned her head to take in her surroundings.

_Wait… _This wasn't the hospital.

It was then that she realized that her good wrist and ankles were secured to the bedposts; the setup allowed very little movement such as the flexing of muscles earlier.

_Where the fuck—?!_

She took a deep breath, took stock of where she was: the room was small and bare save the bed she was laying on, a monitor that displayed her vitals, and a small bedside table. The walls were white and the only point of entry was a single wooden door directly across from the bed. No windows.

Ino's heart flittered painfully as worst case scenarios played through her head and the machine reflected that rapid-fire pace.

_Okay, calm down. _Her bad wrist had been set and the other bore and I.V. That was a good sign, right? Her captor—is there was any such person—wouldn't care for her wounds only to harm her, right?

…Right?

"You are awake."

Ino started, blue eyes flying to the door; she must have been so deep in thought that she had missed the approach and entry of the fair-skinned dark-haired girl that now stood in the open doorway.

The girl smiled serenely and Ino felt her worries melt away. "I was so worried that you would not awaken. How do you feel?"

"Where am I? How did I get here? Who are you?"

The brunette's smile widened and Ino saw pointed canines—a vampire! For some reason, the thought didn't unsettle her. "All in good time, my dear. Would you like something to eat?"

Her throat tightened and ached suddenly, as though reminded of its extreme thirst. "Oh, uh, yes, please."

She most have dozed because, suddenly, the girl was standing next to her bed, a tray of food and drink in her hands. She rested it across Ino's lap with another one of those serene, comforting smiles. "Here you are."

Ino cleared her throat, blushing slightly. "Er, I can't…"

"Oh! A thousand pardons." She leaned forward and did… Something that set the blonde's wrist free.

When she made no move to undo Ino's ankle bonds, the blonde cleared her throat nervously. "W-Why exactly am I tied up?"

"To protect you, of course." That serene smile was unflappable.

"From?" Ino prompted.

"Yourself." Her gaze was steady and deadly serious.

She didn't have anything to say to that. Perhaps this madwoman was holding her hostage… At least she was comfortable.

She would figure out an escape plan _after _she ate.

Yeah…

With that in mind, Ino picked up the mug and, after a surreptitious glance at its contest, she took a cautious sip.

Whatever it was, it was delicious, sliding down her throat like liquid sunshine.

As she eagerly gulped the rest down, the vampire's serene smile curled into something crueler.

~o~

Half of the forest had been leveled.

Konan's knuckles stood out in white relief as she clutched the wrought iron balcony railing, her blood _boiling_.

But if the bluette was angry, then Anko was absolutely furious.

The purplette was pacing, her face contorted into a pale, animalistic mask. She kept clenching and unclenching her hands, the cold aura of menace that clung to her like a second skin sending a chill down the bluette's spine.

They hadn't spoken since…

_/ She knew what she was doing was wrong. She just didn't know how to control herself._

_There was no way she could tear herself from the delicacy that was Ino Yamanaka's blood._

_There was nothing like it._

_She knew the human was dying; could hear the slowing heart beats and faltering breaths._

_And, for some reason, the human wasn't fighting back. It made the Beast within croon with pleasure._

_Then, Anko crashed into her. She could recognize that powerful presence anywhere, regardless of the Hunger that drove any sanity from her head._

_That was why she allowed herself to be pinned down, a steel grip around her throat._

"_Why?" That's all she kept asking._

_Why?_

_Why was Ino's body gone when she looked back? /_

It had been 48 hours, Not a word.

Just angry pacing all through the night.

Sakura had been in here earlier. It was only her pleading that got the purplette to stay still long enough to fuel herself with the cold, stale blood in the stocked blood bags.

Konan suspected that it was only because the pinkette reminded her of—

_/ "INO!" Anko screamed./_

Konan's cooled suddenly.

"Anko…" she began slowly, forcing calm into her voice.

The purplette rounded on her, eyes black with fury. Her cheeks bore vertical pink lines where bloody tears had trailed down.

For the life of her, the bluette couldn't understand why she was so distraught.

"We should not be wasting this time. If the girl has truly been abducted by Sasuke Uchiha, we should perform a thorough—"

"Her name is Ino." It was said so quietly that even the vampire nearly missed it.

"… Ino," Konan corrected herself. "Yes, of course."

"The Council would never sanction a rescue squad for a human." Disgust tinged her voice and she scrubbed her hand over her eyes. "_You_ should know that better than anyone."

_I—? _

_/ "A search… For a human?" The Councilman scoffed. "Ridiculous."_

_Konan was on her knees, her nose nearly to the ground as she prostrated herself. "Please…"_

_Standing in the doorway a few feet behind her, Anko looked on with sad brown eyes. "Oh, Konan…" /_

The bluette bristled. "You forget your place."

Anko was toe to toe with her in an instant, face a hair's breadth from Konan's. "You forget that I'm stronger than you no matter your title."

The air between them became cold and dead, thick with tension.

Konan fought against the impulse to bow her head in submission to the greater power, choosing instead to hold her ground and be sucked in by those infinite pools of blood red. Her stomach twisted nervously, a single bead of sweat dripping down her temple the only outward sign of weakness.

"Ah, pardon my intrusion. Shall I return at a later time?" came Deidara's voice.

The tension broke instantly as Anko dragged her eyes from Konan to pin a new target.

"Well?" She had sent the blonde out yesterday to track down the Uchiha bastard and his hostage.

If they could prove that the younger Uchiha brother was in on this…

Maybe they had a shot at getting help.

Deidara started, then looked guilty—as though embarrassed by his reaction. Still, he straightened his back proudly and said, "I found her."

"We leave at once." Triumph made the corners of her mouth twitch upwards though the rest of her face remained deadly serious.

Konan blinked. "Charging into the stronghold of our enemy like that… Is utter foolishness."

"Guess I'm a fool." Without another word, Anko turned and went inside, pushing past Deidara to do so.

"My Lady?" the blonde queried.

There was an ominous creaking wail as the balcony railing warped under Konan's hands.

"Prepare yourself," she managed through clenched teeth.

"At once, My Lady."

~o~

Ino had been drifting in and out of consciousness for what felt like hours.

Every time she opened her eyes, the brunette was there beside her bed, crooning softly in a language Ino didn't understand and staring at her face with wide, unblinking eyes.

It should have been unsettling, but she felt comforted by the other girl's presence.

Finally, she managed to grab onto consciousness and hold it, sitting upright for the first time in days.

Her ankles were still bound.

The girl was there next to her bed, waiting with that serene smile and a mug of what Ino presumed to be that delicious drink from before.

Her mouth watered at the thought.

"How do you feel?"

_**Thirsty. **__Wait, what?_

"You seem troubled," the girl said softly when Ino made no verbal response.

The blonde shook her head. "No… No, I'm okay." Her eyes narrowed as she registered a throbbing pain in her neck. "Ow. What the fuck?" She lifted her hand to touch the source of the ache, but found no wound. "What happened?"

The vampire's gaze was steady. "That is likely an injury from earlier."

_/ Her heart was beating so loudly in her ears it was deafening._

_Pain drew whit hot lines over her abdomen, thick, hot blood pouring out and painting pale skin red. The flow slowed with her faltering heart._

_She knew that she was going to die._

_Somehow, that was okay. This was Konan…_

_And that mattered for some reason._

_Her muscles relaxed, her mind completely at ease despite the surging response of her pain receptors._

_Everything would be okay." /_

Ino did that weird double-inhale that people do when they're scared witless and ended up choking. When her vampire caretaker stood to pound her on the back, she waved her away.

When the coughing fit passed, Ino looked at the brunette with watery blue eyes. "Who are you?"

Somehow, that and many other questions had managed to elude Ino during her stay. However long that had been.

Her mind was clear now and she wanted to take advantage of that.

"Now, now, is that any way to thank your savior?" the girl chided.

Instantly, she felt guilty, but she shoved the feeling aside. "Savior? How can I be so sure of that? Seems like I'm being held captive here.

At the pointed look at her ankles, the vampire made a small, helpless gesture. "I told you, it is for your own safety."

"Why?" Ino demanded.

A sigh. "Drink up," was all she said, holding up the mug.

"Release me," she countered. Despite her words. Ino glanced longingly at the ceramic vessel. Maybe just a sip…

"Very well." When she received a surprised look, the brunette smiled. "You are not a prisoner here, Ino."

As the girl leaned forward to release the blonde's restraints, a thought occurred to her: "How do you know my name?"

"I know everything about you, Miss Yamanaka." Right leg.

"That's not creepy and stalkerish at all."

Laughter. "Perhaps." The vampire lingered at the last binding, her cold fingertips resting against Ino's bare skin.

The touch burned.

"Do you, now?" _C'mon…_

"Oh, yes." She looked pleased. "I know that you were born on September 23rd. I know that you are afraid of heights. I know that, with your disease, you are destined to die far before your time. I know that you are right-handed and that your favourite colour is purple. I also know that you blame yourself for what happened to your blonde friend five years ago."

Instantly, Ino forgot about being released. "What… did you just say?"

_Five years ago…_

_/ "Temari, wait up!"_

_They were about 13, long limbed and waiflike. _

_The sandy-blonde laughed gaily, eyes like the ocean alight with affection for her best friend._

_Ino's father had dropped them off at the wildlife preserve because her own father was perpetually at work. The pair had darted off at once, heading in the direction of the river._

_It was a hot summer day and they desperately wanted to cool off._

_Ino tried very hard to keep up without straining herself, smiling appreciatively when the other girl deliberately slowed her pace._

_It was good to be young._

"_Check this out!" Temari hollered, jumping from the hill that overlooked their favorite swimming hole and jackknifing neatly into the water._

_Ino came skidding to a halt at the edge and fidgeted uncertainly. Moments later, Temari surfaced and waved to her excitedly. "Hey, what're you waiting for?"_

_The older girl pouted. "I don't think I can."_

"_C'mon, ya big baby!"_

_She took a deep breath then hurled herself off the edge, into the water. The impact of her cannonball created a wave that swept the laughing Temari back under._

_It was cooler down in that clear watery world. Temari swam over to Ino and, with a wink, took her best friend's hand. Schools of freshwater fish darted away as the pair swam close to the bottom, kicking up sediment in their wake. Finally, their air supply ran dangerously low and Temari pointed towards the surface and paddled for all she was worth, towing Ino behind her._

_They broke the surface moments later to fill their lungs with sweet, sweet air and flopped onto the grassy bank, panting._

"_It's great out here."_

_Ino nodded in agreement, excitement coursing through her. "I can't believe I just did that!"_

"_Told ya you could."_

_The blonde jumped to her feet, psyched by the accomplishment she had just made. She was on top of the world right now._

"_Hey, let's go into the forest."_

_Temari frowned slightly. "I dunno.. It's kind of dangerous. This _is _a wildlife preserve, after all."_

"'_C'mon, ya big baby,'" Ino teased._

_When she ran off, Temari was given no choice but to follow._

_Ino glanced over her shoulder and smiled at the other girl. She knew Temari was letting her win because she couldn't run very quickly at all. "Hey, there's a cave over there. Let's check it out."_

"_Ino—" But her warning fell on deaf ears as the older girl changed directions._

_Muttering words she had heard her father use when he was frustrated, Temari hastened to follow._

_The cave was dark and cool, stalagmites working with the sun to throw shadows on the floor. It looked deep. _

"_We should go back," Temari panted, resting a hand on Ino's shoulder. When her hand was shrugged off, she frowned. "Ino, what's wrong?"_

"_I hate this." _

"_Hate what?" No response. "Ino… Look at me."_

_Slowly, the blonde turned her head. Blue eyes were dull with sadness and Temari saw how red her face was._

"_My body. I'm so worthless."_

"_Don't say that." It was one of the few times Ino had ever heard Temari's voice so forceful and it shook her to the core. "Don't _ever _say that. You are _not _worthless, okay?"_

_Suddenly, Ino tottered and lost her balance; the sandy blonde quickly moved to support her and helped to lower her into a seated position._

"_Thanks…"_

"_You know I'd do anything for you, Ino."_

"_Why?"_

"_We're best friends. Forever." A small smile curved her lips. "There we go. A smile. You're too pretty to frown, Ino."_

"_You don't have to say those things, Temari."_

"_I _want _to. You need to hear it."_

_They both turned their attention to the entrance of the cave: the sun was setting._

"_I didn't realize it was so late."_

"_Yeah. We should probable head ba—"_

_A low roar made the girls quake with terror; a large, furry figure appeared in the cave entrance, looming over the young blondes._

_A bear. It sniffed and grumbled, dark eyes fixing on the friends. _

"_Ino," Temari hissed, eyes like saucers. "Run."_

"_What?"_

"RUN!" _The sandy blonde charged to her feet, dragging Ino with her inward. Into the cave._

_And the bear charged._

_The cave's innards were narrow and winding and Ino panted laboriously as she was lead on._

_They turned a corner and she collapsed. "I can't… Go on…" she gasped. "Sorry… I just… Can't." Her eyes filled with tears. "We're going to die here, aren't we? This is all my fault. If I hadn't run off—"_

"_Stop that!" Temari snapped. "Stop blaming yourself, okay? No one's going to die." She looked around determinedly and her eyes lighted on a pile of large rocks leaking from a narrow gap. "Look. A way out."_

_There was thrashing in the direction from which they had just come. The bear was coming closer._

_Ino whimpered and Temari hauled her to her feet once more. "C'mon, Ino. You can make it."_

_With the sandy-blonde's help, the blonde climbed the pile of rocks. The younger girl crouched and meshed her fingers together, creating a stirrup to help Ino up._

"_Up you go," she said encouragingly. "Pull me up after."_

_She almost didn't make it._

_Ino's biceps screamed as she hauled herself through the tiny gap, the rough edges of the rocks nicking her smooth skin._

_Finally, she flopped down on her stomach on the outside, a relieved sigh escaping her lips. "Thank God…" Then, she remembered. "Temari!"_

_She rolled over and reached out into the darkness, grasping the other girl's wrists with both hands. "C'mon…" She bit her lip as she hefted the shorter girl's weight upwards. "C'mon…!"_

"_That'a girl, Ino," Temari encouraged. There was scrabbling from within as the sandy-blonde struggled to escape. "Almost there."_

_Her fingertips appeared at the rim of the little escape hole and Ino couldn't help but grin. Everything was going to be okay._

_A bloodcurdling scream filled the approaching night and made the hairs on the back of Ino's neck stand up._

_Adrenaline surged through the blonde's slim frame and she heaved, yanking her best friend out in one pull; she fell onto her back, knocking the wind out of her._

"_We… Made it… Temari…" she puffed. When the other girl didn't respond, she sat up. "Temari?"_

_It was then that she realized the other girl's back was soaked with blood. /_

Ino had never run faster in her life. After she had found her father, she had blacked out and _both _girls had to be hospitalized.

Even now, she still carried around the guilt from the day, but Temari refused to blame her despite the months that it had taken to heal and the long scar across her back that had been left as a memento of Ino's stupid mistake.

"Miss Yamanaka?"

The blonde wrenched herself from the past. "What?"

The mug was shoved into her line of view. "Drink."

That comment from before had her so frazzled that she didn't feel the same desire that she had before. "No thank you."

Dark eyebrows drew together. "Excuse me?"

"I'm not thirsty."

"You will **drink.**" Dark eyes focused on the blonde.

Against her will, Ino reached out and took the mug and raised it to her lips. She felt lightheaded.

'_Boom.' _It sounded far away, but the room shook. The movement pulled the vampire's gaze away and Ino felt her facilities return to her.

"What is the meaning of this?" the brunette demanded, rising to her feet. She stormed out of the room, leaving Ino by herself.

**-End Chapter-**

As promised! Please review and let me know how I did… This was a bit rushed -.- I hope the quality is okay.


	17. The Council of Loathing

Hey, guys. I know it's been a while, but I'm now officially a college student which means back-breaking work and getting acclimated to a totally new place (I moved out). I'm not giving up on this fic—I promise.

Caution: a bit of non-consensual molestation going on here.

After all I've done for the council,  
They'd so soon be rid of me.

—MC Frontalot

**-The Council Of Loathing-**

**Earlier…**

"_To Turn a human requires three Exchanges of blood between the vampire and human in question."_

Sakura frowned, puzzled. "Sasori?"

"Mm?"

The Tsuki Coven were bound for the Council headquarters by a horse-drawn carriage of all things. Sasori sat directly across from the pinkette who in turn was flanked by Anko and Konan—neither of which had spoken a word to the other since disembarking.

It would have been faster if they had just run there, Sakura had pointed out, but the bluette had insisted that they were not a pack of wild dogs.

There were proper procedures and all that.

Sasori was acting as a peacekeeper—a role he was accustomed to by the looks of it.

"Turning a human. Why bother?" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Konan stiffen minutely.

"Some are destined for more than fate would allow," he answered serenely.

"Have you ever Turned anyone?"

"No. It… Places a great strain on those who are involved."

When he didn't elaborate, the pinkette glanced down at the thin book she had brought to entertain herself with. Since losing her Fledgling-hood, she had developed an incredible thirst for knowledge.

"_The human must be willing for the Exchange to have any effect. Compulsion, for example, will negate the transformation."_

"How does one convince a human to drink blood?" Sakura found herself asking.

"Very carefully," Anko muttered with a wry smile.

With a sudden, violent motion, Konan gripped the windowsill and threw her body out and up—presumably into the box seat where Deidara was driving the six horse team.

'_What's crawled up her ass?'_

"This is all too familiar to her," Anko said, startling the pinkette. Had she read her mind? "You've seen some of that kid she fell in love with, right?"

'_Seen…?'_

As though unleashed by Anko's words, images struck her brain like flashes of lightning.

_/Orange hair. Eyes like liquid silver._

_Bars. Pale hands reaching but never quite touching what they sought._

_Darkness./_

Sakura felt her heart constrict and she nodded mutely.

The purplette sighed. "Old Konan tried to get the Council to save him… _That_ didn't go so well. So she went after Pein herself. Almost got herself killed in the process."

"K-killed?"

Anko's gaze was distant; far away in a different time, a different place. "It takes someone amazingly strong to be able to go toe-to-toe with the Ice Queen herself. You'll never guess which rat bastard it was that captured the poor carrot top and gave the head of the Tsuki Coven a run for her money."

Sakura had a pretty good guess. "Sasuke…" Her neck throbbed duly at the mere mention of her sire's name. "But why would the Council help now?"

"Fifty years ago, Lord Itachi was just your average Joe. Fifty years ago, it was Sasuke who ran the Council—that is, until he went apeshit and started slaughtering humans left and right. Pein was only one in about a hundred human victims that we found, dead, at the scene. Sasuke only used males for whatever it was that he was doing—you're the first girl and the first survivor."

Sakura blinked. The information seemed rather important. Why was this the first she was hearing of it?

"That's why I need you to remember whatever it was he did to you. He probably has your head locked up tight, but Lord Uchiha can undo it."

"W-What if I don't want to remember?"

"I'm sorry, Sakura. I'll do whatever I can to get Ino back."

Up at the head of the carriage, Konan gritted her teeth and closed her eyes. She had come out here hoping that the rushing winds would at least mute their voices. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

That name…

It hurt to hear it.

/ _Sasuke Uchiha crouched over a broken body, his eyes a murderous red in the complete darkness of his lair._

_When he recoiled from the bluette his foot knocked over an oil lamp, spilling a thin trail of flame across the floor that was just bright enough to reveal the identity of the man who lay there: a shock of orange hair, unnaturally pale skin, multiple facial piercings…_

_Pein._

_The sight of him made her physically ill; she retched, covered her mouth with her hand and pulled it back, shocked, when she touched something wet._

_She was crying—for the first time in years._

_She could hear Sasuke smack his lips from somewhere not too far away—_

"_Tasty," he crooned._

—_and saw red. /_

That had been the last time she had seen Pain: limbs akimbo, neck at an odd angle, skin several shades too pale.

"Deidara."

"Yes, My Lady," the blonde responded easily, whipping the horses unto a full-on gallop.

* * *

"For what reason do you present yourself before the Vampire Council?" Kisame questioned. The rest of the Council was seated behind him, peering listlessly at black nails. Upon Konan's entry, Hidan perked up and the female made a face.

"The Tsuki presents itself with a request for Lord Uchiha." It was Anko who spoke, to Sakura's surprise.

Itachi blinked, something that could pass for interest flashing across his otherwise stoic face. "A request?"

He rose and Sakura found herself instinctively kneeling to the greater vampire. Upon looking up, she found that Anko and Konan were the only ones not prostrate; they simply lowered their heads respectfully.

"Yes, my lord."

Itachi approached the pair slowly, his presence becoming overwhelmingly strong as he drew even with them to the point that the pinkette was quite literally shaking in her boots.

'_What amazing power…!'_

"You have my attention."

Anko cleared her throat, faltering for the first time since Sakura had met her. "This girl…" She jabbed her chin in Sakura's direction. "She has been Turned by your brother."

His eyebrows drew together a fraction. "… That is of no concern of mine."

"True. However, this means you are the only one who can make her remember what he made her forget."

All eyes turned to the eldest Uchiha. "And how will doing so benefit me?"

"Very well," he said at last, holding his hand out, palm down, towards Sakura. "Come, child." When the pinkette hesitated, his lips drew together in a disapproving line. "_**Come.**_**"**

Sakura lurched to her feet and hastened to the brunette's side, falling submissively to her knees before him. When he placed his hand on the crown of her head, she felt as though the weight of the world was resting on her. "**Remember what has been forgotten." **The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and a draft swept through the room, causing the torches around the room to flicker wildly. "**Uncover what was hidden.**"

White hot pain seared through her brain and she cried out, clapping her hands over her ears.

"Whatever he had to hide, he did not want anyone to learn of its existence," she heard Itachi mutter. He sounded far away.

She stumbled and would have fallen had Anko not darted forward to catch her.

"And so it begins."

_/ Sakura's heart beat wildly and her throat was dry._

_She didn't remember anything at all before ending up _here_._

_But where was here?_

_It was dark and she couldn't move her limbs. There was a cool, flat surface beneath her back which meant she was most likely bound. _

_The pinkette wracked her brains, desperately attempting to figure out where the hell she was. She had been walking home from class with a couple of her guy friends from the Sunagakure College of Medical Arts when…_

_When what? She clenched her fists. Fuck… What happened?_

_There was a low hum and, suddenly, the lights powered on. Sakura screamed: a man, gaunt and pale as death, was standing in front of what appeared to be the only entrance, his hand on the light switch. A small, sadistic smile spread across his face, but that wasn't what got her attention; there was blood all over his shirt and his free hand was pressed over his ribs—presumably over an open wound as more blood dripped out. _

_The deep crimson stood out against what was otherwise a stark white room._

"_My comrades are getting steadily better with their attempts to destroy me," the man chuckled. He lifted his hand and Sakura felt nauseated as the sickening scent of decaying flesh rolled forth._

_She swallowed, hard. "Who—?"_

"_I am Sasuke Uchiha," he responded. His eyes were the same colour as the life-giving liquid that dripped from him to the floor._

"_Why—?"_

"_Why not?" The man—Sasuke—smirked. "I need you."_

'_Huh?' She blinked and he was suddenly far too close. He lifted a hand and her breath faltered as he stroked her face, spreading warm blood over her cheek. "You will serve me well."_

_Pain unlike any she'd ever felt before pierced her neck, setting her nerve endings ablaze. She was vaguely aware of the way his flesh knitted together, but more than anything she could feel the blinding agony and smell the pungent stench of death. /_

'_No…'_

_/ She trembled, body drained of its strength. Sasuke wiped his mouth and cracked his neck, his body no longer dripping blood. He took off his shirt to reveal his chest—unmarked save a single long, thin scar—and twisted it into a knot, gathering blood into his cupped palm._

_He held up his hand. "Here. Drink."_

'_What?!' She pressed back against the table as best she could, head spinning from that simple motion. "No. Why the fuck would I want to do that?!"_

_He chuckled and tilted his head back, pouring the putrid swill into his open mouth. When he advanced upon Sakura, she struggled valiantly, but there was nowhere to go. Tears ran down her cheeks, muffled screams not escaping thanks to the vampire's cold, winding tongue. When she tried to bite his tongue, he just laughed and shoved it down her throat; she retched on the too-salty metallic taste of his blood. /_

'_No…!'_

/ _"Please…" Sakura sobbed, pulling helplessly at her bindings. "Please…"_

_Sasuke laughed again, grabbing a handful of her hair and yanking her head back. "I'm coming for you, brother. This girl is just the beginning."_

_Then, he bit down on her jugular once again. /_

"**NO!"**

With a mighty shove, Sakura sent Itachi reeling, bloody tears leaving pink trails down her cheeks. Instantly, the rest of the Council was on their feet, hissing like a pit of vipers.

But it was too late: the pinkette took off at a dead run, her body twisting and warping into something else—

"Stop her!" Anko barked.

But it was too late and a lynx ran out of the Council Room.

The remaining vampires were still for a moment, stunned.

Finally, the purplette heaved a sigh. "Proof enough that your brother is a sick fuck, Itachi?"

The Council turned to look at Itachi, very much resembling the audience of a very slow ping pong match.

Itachi actually seemed troubled. "Your evidence is… Sufficient." He straightened his shoulders. "It is time that we intervened."

Hidan snorted. "Is there a need for us to become involved with the matters of these civilians, My Lord?"

His gaze could have flash frozen fire. "We have waited long enough. Come. We leave at once."

**Present…**

Ino approached the open doorway cautiously, heart in her throat. She wasn't sure where that woman went and she really didn't want to be caught unawares.

When she had ascertained that the other woman was gone, she reached over to the bed stand and took the mug. She raised it close to her face and sniffed curiously: it smelled good—so good that she began to salivate.

And, damnit, she was thirsty.

A little red flag went off in her mind, warning her that the woman from before had _wanted _her to drink whatever it was.

'_Well, whatever.' _She raised it to her lips and drank, relishing in the taste.

From down the hall, the woman smirked. '_That's twice.'_

The smile dropped and she wheeled around just in time to see a giant blue hand grabbed her around the neck and slammed her into the wall next to her. "Sasuke Uchiha," Kisame growled, grabbing her wrists and securing them too. "You are hereby found guilty of breaking the ancient laws that govern our people.

Sasuke's guise melted away and he bared his teeth. "Where are your companions?"

"I am more than enough to destroy you."

The brunette smirked. "Wrong answer."

One kick to the kidney sent the blue man reeling. The moment he was crouched over, gripping his side, Sasuke flipped and axe kicked the back of his head, crushing Kisame into the ground.

"Foolish," Sasuke murmured, returning to his alternate form. He stepped daintily over a pool of black blood and continued on to the room he had left Ino in.

**-End Chapter-**


	18. Third Time's The Charm

Try to run away, little girl you're being haunted  
Over in the corner lookin' for disaster  
You don't feel the chains but you recognize your captor

-The Fuzztones

**-Third Time's The Charm-**

_Sakura ran with no destination in mind. _

_The wind rushed in her ears as she leaped, each powerful flex of muscle beneath faintly spotted gray fur sending her hurtling forward._

_This felt… Good._

_She wanted to run so fast and so far that she left herself behind; left behind the memories that plagued her mind's eye._

_/"You will serve me well."/_

_What had Sasuke meant by that? Her blood ran cold at the thought of being anywhere _near _that bastard, much less being of assistance to him._

_A sweet, familiar scent teased at her nose and her nostrils flared. A name tickled the edges of her consciousness, but she couldn't quite grasp it. _

'_What…?'_

_Something nagged at her conscience. This scent was… Not good. It wasn't quite bad—it just wasn't good. Apprehension gripped her but her paws took her steadily east, led by a primal desire she could not even think to deny._

'_Hurts.'_

_A white hot sensation jackknifed through her temple and she almost faltered and tripped mid-step._

'_Bad.'_

_Still, she continued onwards._

~o~

Itachi flinched, and a single drop of pitch black blood welled up in the corner of his eye.

"My Lord?" Hidan asked

"Kisame…" Another droplet, this one ruby red, painted a trail down the right side of his face and there was a quiet hiss as though it was acidic. The lights throughout the entire floor flickered ominously.

Hidan swore softly, the spiky strands of his silver hair standing on end like the tail of an angry cat. Kakuzu tugged at the bandana shielding the lower half of his face, a dark cloud swirling around his feet.

Konan lifted a hand to her temple, struck by a sudden headache. When she saw Sasori and Deidara mirror her at almost the exact same time, she knew it couldn't be mere coincidence.

"My Lord," Anko began. She was the only member of the Tsuki Coven that seemed unaffected. "If I may?"

The elder Uchiha's eyes flicked to the purplette and, even though the gaze was not directed at her, Konan felt its gravity. "**Bring him to me.**"

The tomoe in around his pupil surged and grew to the point of completely obscuring the red of his eyes and a corresponding mark on the side of Anko's neck began to squirm in response. It crawled across her skin like vines on a trellis, spreading down her neck and across her shoulders—a way of marking the higher ranking members among the vampiric ranks.

"As you wish."

~o~

"Where are we going?"

The brunette forced a smile. "There was a draft in the other room," he lied. "I would not want you to catch your death." Ino seemed satisfied with that answer and he wanted to kill her for being so wretchedly human. But nothing would come of destroying her. After all, he just needed one more blood transfer…

He came to an abrupt halt, another's presence catching his attention: at the end of the corridor sat a big cat with wild green eyes. Just then, the lights flickered and he knew his brother had discovered the fate of his second in command.

"Sakura."

"Sakura?!" Ino gasped.

A growl rumbled low in the creature's throat and he heard her heartbeat accelerate with fear. "Stop that nonsense," he snapped. "I need you to watch the gi—Ino. **No harm shall come to her.**"

Slowly, the pinkette came out of her feline form, swaying on her feet like a newborn foal once she had done so. She glared balefully at Sasuke and he smirked.

There was no resisting one's Sire.

"… Okay."

There was nowhere left to run. It was time to fight.

He had to sample Ino's blood one last time. Then, he would be able to—

"Mitarashi." He rolled out of the way of a punch that broke a hole through the floor. "I would appreciate it if you would not destroy my home."

"Anko!" Ino called. She tried to approach the purplette, but Sakura rested a restraining hand on her shoulder. "Hey, what's gotten into you, Sakura?"

"Shut it," she said tersely. The cognitive dissonance of wanting desperately to harm the girl and being physically incapable of doing so was driving her insane.

"Let her go, Sasuke." The splotchy pattern that had spread across her shoulders squirmed a bit, spreading down her arms now. It looked as though it was trying to consume her.

'_Sasuke…' _The name clicked and the blonde stumbled backwards, fear choking her, into Sakura.

"You are in no position to make demands," Sasuke responded, clenching his fists. "Sakura, take Ino to her room."

"She will do no such thing." Konan came up behind Anko, her fangs bared. She felt… Relieved—happy, even—upon seeing that the blonde was unharmed and it bothered her. "Sakura."

The pinkette's head snapped towards her mistress and her eyebrows drew together. "My Lady…"

"**Follow my command, Sakura**," Sasuke barked.

Her eyes glazed over and she turned to go down the hallway, pulling Ino along with her.

"Hey, wait—" The blonde squeaked in surprise as she was lifted and slung over the pinkette's strong shoulder. "Anko! Konan!"

_Ino! _Konan's heart sank, her vision narrowing to focus solely on the pinkette who was taking her prize away.

"Ino!" The purplette started forward but Sasuke stepped into her path, his guise melting as the girls left the immediate vicinity.

"You are a thorn in my side." He had to dispose of them quickly. If he hadn't completed the ritual before his brother arrived, he knew he would not be escaping this time. He caught the fist that came flying at his face, bending her arm back and whirling her around to face Konan. He bared his fangs, leaning into her ear. "Control your subordinate, Konan, or you may lose her."

The bluette's eyes narrowed but Anko just laughed. "Careful, Uchiha or you'll make yourself seem even dumber than you are." She wrenched out of his grip, kicking his feet from under him and grabbing hold of his long black hair; yanking him to his feet by a handful, she kneed him in the abdomen, a savage fury curling her lips into a smile. "Bow to me, fucker."

She was surprised when he merely smirked and, in the next instant, she hissed in pain, her arm hanging limply as, with a sickening _'snap' _he broke clean through her radius, part of the milky white bone protruding from her skin.

It all happened so quickly. Before Konan could even react to her ally's injury, he was advancing on her, grabbing her by the lapels of her coat and slamming her into the opposite wall with force that would have killed a lesser being on impact; the sharp edges of the metal workings that hung there cut into her back but she refused to give him the satisfaction of displaying the fact that he had injured her.

"You will pay for interfering in my plans," the male promised her. He drew back one fist and rammed it into her stomach, forcing the weaponry hanging on the wall through her back and out the other side. "But not now."

He released his grip and she was left hanging there, blood pouring down her side. She hadn't known… He was so strong. How could he possibly be so strong?

Anko's flesh had stitched itself together, but it would take time for the bone to follow suit. Still, she completely disregarded the injury as she pounced on Sasuke, smashing him in the face with the heel of her palm. He recoiled from the blow, covering his face with one hand and clamping the other in an iron grip around her throat; her feet dangled as he lifted her.

"Anko Mitarashi." Her Mark burned under his palm, but he didn't release her. "It has been far too long since we last traded blows. You have grown weak."

She spat, a mixture blood and saliva landing neatly on his cheek. "I'm not even trying." That was a lie and they both knew it. The Mark on his neck was siphoning the power from her own and it would be a matter of time before it consumed hers completely. As he wiped it away, the grip on her neck tightened and her vision went fuzzy at the edge. "Killing me… Won't be easy…"

This was true. The brunette frowned, considering his options. Finally, he could no longer bear the feel of the Mark against his flesh and dropped her unceremoniously onto the stone floor where she collapsed into a crouch, panting slightly for air.

She was on her feet in the next instant, the markings on her arms now faded to a dull brown colour. She slid into a combat stance, more than prepared to take another whack at fighting him…

But the male was already gone.

By the time Itachi came up the stairs after having stopped to locate Kisame's fallen form and have Kakuzu transport the faintly breathing vampire back to the Council headquarters to be cared for immediately by Zetsu, Anko had managed to lift Konan off the wall and had bound her up the best she could with lengths of cloth from the sections of her cloak that weren't already soaked with blood. The rest of it had gone into a sling for her arm which she had been adjusting when the male came to stand beside her.

"Where is he?"

She pointed in the general direction Sasuke had headed off in with her good hand and he swept down the hall, a cold draft (and Hidan) following in his wake.

The purplette turned her attention back to her Coven leader and sighed. "What a mess."

~o~

Ino hugged her knees and glared at Sakura who stood on the other side of the room, barring her exit. The pinkette hadn't said a word to her or even acknowledged her presence since bringing her into this tiny little room and tossing her onto a queen sized bed with satin sheets. No amount of coaxing, questions, threats, or insults could get the girl to budge.

The blonde shifted a bit, wondering what exactly was going on. Konan and Anko were in danger… She knew that much. There was nothing she could do to help them and that drove her crazy with anxiety. All she could do was wait here and pray that Sasuke—

Speak of the devil, Sakura stepped aside to let the brunette vampire in; he seemed almost anxious as he smiled at Ino, still in his guise. "I've brought you more medicine."

It was that same mug from before, but it seemed heavier in her hands. The pinkette growled low in her throat and received a warning look from the other vampire.

"I'm feeling a lot better," Ino responded, anxiety growing. Even as she said it, her stomach suddenly clenched and she felt bile well up in her throat. She swore, looking around for something to—

The blonde rushed over to the window, shoved it open and vomited out into the night air. She heaved until her throat was raw and her abdomen sore from clenching.

"She's rejecting your blood." Sakura said from behind her. "I've read enough to recognize the symptoms—she smells like a corpse."

"How…"

"Something must have complicated the process."

'_Rejecting… Blood…?' _Her insides rebelled again at the thought, stomach heaving like the tide on the night of a full moon. "What the fuck is going on?"

"Just** drink,**_**" **_the brunette commanded impatiently, pushing the mug into her shaky hands. "There is still time to begin anew."

Ino's hand lifted the vessel to her lips against her own wishes and try as she might, she couldn't put it back down. She struggled with herself, trying her damndest to stop, but she couldn't.

This had to be _compulsion_—how had she not noticed it before?

The warm fluid had touched her lips and she had started to part them when the mug was knocked out of her hand by a powerful force to shatter against the far wall.

A man stood in the door way, his very presence cowing her into lowering her gaze respectfully. When those crimson eyes flicked to her, she felt her heart stop for a beat. "Human." His gaze slid now to the brunette vampire and, to Ino's shock, the glamor that hid his true form was dispelled instantly.

Sasuke Uchiha hadn't changed one bit since she had last seen him what felt like forever ago in that hospital room amongst the members of the Tsuki Coven. Pale and gaunt, his presence was almost as overpowering as the other vampire's.

Almost.

A second vampire with spiky silver hair came whirling into the room, an odd three-bladed scythe clutched in his hands as he released a gleeful whoop and went barreling straight for Sasuke who calmly sidestepped him and ducked the swipe that split the bed in two with a sharp '_crack!'_

"Hidan," the man barked. "Control yourself."

"Apologies, My Lord." He didn't _seem _very sorry—just impatient and eager.

"This is your chance, brother. Turn yourself in."

Sasuke laughed, the sound bone-chilling. "You've always been a fool, Itachi. You believe that there is good in me even when I oppose you at every turn. You did run into Kisame on the way here, did you not? How does he fare?"

Another _'crack'—_this one from the impact of Sasuke hitting then breaking through the wall, apparently, because he suddenly wasn't standing there and dust swirled around the broken stone remnants of what was once one of the sides of the castle. She hadn't even seen Itachi move.

"Hidan."

The silver haired man cackled gleefully and launched himself out of the hole in pursuit.

Itachi nodded imperceptibly to Sakura then drifted out after the other two vampires, an unshakable calm in his steady gait.

Suddenly, Ino felt very hot. Her head ached and her vision swam, the room spinning like a slow, warped carousel. Her stomach still ached as though she had swallowed a hot coal. She felt Sakura's steadying hand on her arm and it was like ice in comparison to her own body temperature and then she was being lifted and the nausea got worse.

"If you die, Lady Konan and Anko will kill me," the pinkette grumbled. "We need to find a way to reverse this."

After what seemed like an eternity of steps that jostled her far too much (and several warnings that she'd be dropped if she were to throw up from Sakura), Ino heard hurried footsteps.

"Oh thank God." That was Anko. Strangely enough, it wasn't the voice she wanted to hear. Where was—

"Ino…" Konan's voice was so low she almost missed it. She was being traded between people, the unsettling sensation of vertigo worsening with every movement. She knew instantly that the bluette was cradling her, that vanilla scent enveloping her. It almost made her feel better.

Almost.

"Ino? What ails you?"

"Sasuke's study is through here," Anko said urgently. "We might find out what's wrong with he—"

"She's rejecting his blood," Sakura interrupted. "Somehow, she must have ingested someone else's blood so that, while Sasuke's was the majority, that other blood still has a strong effect on her."

The blonde groaned and the arms around her tightened. "How could this have happened?" Someone cleared their throat and the bluette's chest rumbled with a growl. "Anko."

"Hey, hey! It stopped her from becoming his blood slave, didn't it?"

"Need… Puke…" Ino managed groggily.

Konan swore under her breath, lifting the girl and rushing from the room, leaving her Coven mates behind in her haste.

**Meanwhile…**

Where was that wretched girl?

Sasuke had spent centuries simply perfecting the art of stealth and he knew the violent half-wit Hidan would have no hope of finding him.

The only thing that worried him was his brother… And the brunette was trailing slowly, enjoying the hunt like a cat toying with a mouse.

Right before it ended the poor wretch's life.

That though sent a thrill of fear down Sasuke's spine, but he cast it off. He was strong. He would find the girl, turn her, and become even stronger. Then…

He would resume his rightful place as leader the Vampire Council.

**-End Chapter-**

Mmph… It's 4am and this is unbeta'd for the most part, but I wanted to get this out so.. Here it is. I'm going to try and get some sleep. Hope you enjoyed.


	19. Lessons Learned

I mixed a bit of Jutsu in here for the sake of keeping these Naruto characters true to the Naruto-verse. Enjoy!

There's mistakes that I have made,

Some chances I just threw away,

Some roads I never should have taken

Some signs I didn't see,

Hearts that I hurt needlessly

Some wounds…

That I wish I could have one more chance to mend,

But it don't make no difference,

The past can't be rewritten,

You get the life you're given,

Oh some pages turned, some bridges burned

But there were lessons learned.

-Carrie Underwood

**-Lessons Learned-**

Something about what Anko had said earlier was bothering her: _"It stopped her from becoming his blood slave, didn't it?"_

When had she even drank—

_/ "Drink."_

_The blonde went stock still and she swore her heart skipped a beat._

_It was then that she noticed the stench of copper; her eyes fluttered open to find Anko leaning over her._

_"Trust me, Ino," the purplette murmured._

_Compelled by a mixture of her tone and__compulsion__, the blonde parted her lips and allowed the warmth to slide down her throat and fill her body with warmth._

_"Good girl," Anko crooned. She turned her attention to the wide slash across her forearm and lapped along it, her saliva working to seal it up. "Everything will be better now, Ino. You'll see."/_

'_Oh…' _

Her stomach heaved again and her temples throbbed like a bass drum. When she flopped onto her stomach to vomit again, a gentle hand placed pressure on her back and a basin was held to her face so she wouldn't make a mess.

"Ugh… Thanks." It was only then that she noticed with spine chilling horror that the basin was filled, not with degraded food stuffs and bile, but with blood.

There was no way that was normal.

Konan nodded, her face a stoic mask. Whether the vampire was disgusted by her predicament or not, the blonde would never know.

Ino sighed hopelessly and curled up into the fetal position, wishing desperately to be put out of her misery. She had been sick countless times before, but she had never felt _this _badly. It was as though some evil creature was winding its way through her organs, shifting them about and wreaking havoc on her vitals; her heart beat was steady for once, but her temperature was off the charts and she felt as though her head was going to explode from the pressure that had settled on her brain.

"Would you…" No, that was stupid.

When she didn't finish the sentence, Konan tilted her head curiously. "What is it you need?"

She desperately needed comfort. A distraction. Anything. "Talk to me."

"About?"

"Anything. I like hearing your voice." She sought a distraction, something to take her away from the fucked up reality her life had slid into.

The bluette's eyebrows came together slightly, a niggling sense of unease lurking at the back of her mind. "_Anko?" _She projected worriedly.

"_They lost Sasuke."_

A feeling of dread blossomed in her chest, heavy as lead, and she glanced over at Ino, making sure her face was as neutral as physically possible. Despite her efforts, the blonde looked worried and reached out, her fingers brushing against Konan's. "What's wrong?"

"_Lord Uchiha is on his trail, but… You know how it is," _the purplette continued.

"_We search as well, My Lady," _came Deidara's voice. He and Sasori had swept the castle from top to bottom in search of Sasuke's secrets. Their discoveries ranged from artifacts of ancient power stolen from the Council when the male had fled it to potions and ointments made from human blood with different purposes in mind. _"He will not escape this time."_

'_He will come for Ino.' _Instinctively, she clutched the girl's hand, berating herself inwardly for doing so. Just what was she doing here? This weak, sickly child was not worth even a fraction of her time, yet here she was, protecting and comforting the blonde. Risking her own life for the incredibly short life of a human. Still, she didn't release her grip, her body acting of its own volition as she leaned in and kissed Ino gently on the forehead. "You should rest."

Konan now understood why Anko was so set on protecting her. There was just something about Ino Yamanaka. Something pure—something worth preserving.

She would have argued, but the affectionate action rendered her speechless. Her mouth worked soundlessly for a moment before she found her voice and murmured, "I'm going to die, aren't I?"

"Do not say such a thing," Konan snapped, fangs flashing.

Her ire probably should have scared Ino—_would have _scared anyone who valued their life—but instead it comforted her. It was proof that the vampire cared for her well-being. "Okay. Sorry…"

"_I'm sending Sakura up. She's brainy; she can help you out. I'm gonna—"_

"_No. Sakura, report to Lord Itachi. Locate your Sire."_

"… _Fine," _The pinkette responded after a moment's pause. She was still learning the skill.

Though Konan's expression was once again unreadable, the girl knew enough of the bluette to notice the tenseness of her spine and the slight clenching of her jaw. "Is something wrong?"

"_Oh, Konan?"_

"_What is it?" _ Clear blue eyes were boring into her, trying to glean her inner most thoughts, and it made her uncomfortable.

"_She'll need to be Turned—properly this time. It's up to you."_

"It's nothing," the bluette responded distractedly. She cleared her throat, completely at a loss as to what she was going to do for the first time in her life.

She could Turn Ino… Or the girl could die.

She could go back on the oath that she would never try and Turn another, which she had sworn to herself after losing Pein—the name still made her chest ache—or she could lose the new human that had somehow managed to worm their way into her heart.

"Konan?"

The bluette snapped back to reality and blinked, so lost in her own mind that she didn't even think to correct the girl. "Mm?"

"Remember that trip we made to Amegakure?"

She did and she said as much. The outing had been… A change of pace—dare she say "fun" if she was being completely honest with herself.

"Do you, um…" The blonde fidgeted and it was then that the vampire noticed a scent she had not yet smelled on her human companion. Ino was… Excited? Why? "Do you remember what you did when we went shopping that one night?"

"…" There were, of course, several possible answers to that question, but Konan knew which one the blonde sought.

That kiss. That moment of weakness.

"Could you maybe… Dothatagain?" she finished in a rush, a nervous blush spreading across her cheeks. After receiving a long, blank stare, the blonde flinched. '_What was I thinking? I'm so stupid…' _"Sorry, I must be _really _sick," she blazed on with fake cheerfulness.

There was no way that silly kiss had meant anything to the immortal.

"Very well," Konan said after a hugely awkward pause that made Ino want to throw herself off a cliff.

She would never understand humans. The blonde was going absolutely insane over her request—why make it? It seemed to bring her nothing but unease and panic. Still, the memory of the moment they shared helped to make up her mind: she would Turn Ino because she had to let go. She would Turn Ino because if one lived so firmly locked in the past, they would have no future.

Pein would have agreed. This was a chance for happiness and she should take it.

"What…?" She couldn't have heard right.

"I will indulge you… If you do something for me in return."

What could she possibly do for the beautiful vampire? Curiosity overrode her embarrassment. "Yeah… Sure. Anything."

"Take care what you promise me," the bluette murmured, her voice just short of husky. Or was Ino imagining that? The usual musical lilt was there, but it seemed even more intoxicating than usual.

The thought sent a little thrill through her and she dropped her gaze, noticing for the first time after some moments of trying to get her eyes to focus that the woman wasn't wearing that ever-present black cloak… And that the turtle neck she wore had been punctured several times around the waist area and was stiff with blood, as were the strips of cloth she had presumably bound her wounds with.

"Wh-what happened?"

"Mm?" The bluette followed the girl's gaze. "Oh." She had nearly forgotten. She reached for the hem of her shirt and tugged it up and over her head, baring her milky skin to the room (not to mention the roaming eyes of her companion) and began to undo Anko's handiwork. As she had thought, the wounds had sealed up nicely, leaving little red marks that would simply fade over time.

"You were hurt," Ino breathed, unable to remove her gaze from the bluette's incredible body. She had seen it before—and with less clothes at that!—but for some reason, the combination of black bra trimmed with lace and wounds, slight though they seemed, made her seem almost delicate. A bit less untouchable and austere than she usually was—a bit more mortal.

Before she realized what she was doing, Ino reached out, tracing her fingers over the marks on Konan's stomach. When the woman didn't stop her, she slipped her arms around the bluette's waist and rested her head on her bosom, drawing comfort from her warmth (actually, she was quite a bit cooler than Ino at the current moment) and familiar vanilla scent. There were marks on the woman's back as well, she realized. That meant…

Whatever had left the marks had gone _through_ Konan.

"Sasuke did this to you." She had no business feeling protective of the immortal, especially given her enormous strength, but she felt angry at the thought of _anyone _harming the bluette.

"Pay it no mind," Konan said, the name reminding her that this was no time for dawdling. "Come." She hooked a finger under Ino's chin and guided her face upwards. Once she had locked gazes with the girl, those endless pools of indigo swirling with flecks of gold, she slowly brought her forearm up to her mouth and parted her lips, fangs dropping before she bit down.

Ino flinched, but didn't look away, the vampire blood that corrupted her system calling out hungrily for sustenance; the unnatural urge warred with her own human instincts and she felt her stomach roil again. When Konan disengaged, blood running down her wrist, she grabbed the back of Ino's skull and pulled her in, crushing their lips together; the blonde made a sound of protest as the vampire's tongue parted them and she tasted the copper tang of blood, but it quickly turned into an eager whimper.

Boyfriend? What boyfriend?

Vampire blood tasted good on its own, but the combination of it and Konan's tongue was sublime. And it was weird, but she somehow felt stronger. Less like dying.

The immortal's chest rumbled with a purr as Ino drank the last drop and she ravished the blonde's mouth, tongue dipping and swirling. There was so much desire—so much raw power—bottled up behind her kiss as she flat out dominated Ino, forgetting herself for a moment and pushing the young woman onto her back, hands braced on either side of the girl's head.

When they separated, she leaned back and surveyed her prey: Ino's lips were pink from the force of their kiss, her flaxen hair mussed up and spilling around her, eyes heavy lidded with lust. She looked absolutely_ edible_.

"My turn," Konan husked, fangs positively aching at the thought of wetting them with the girl's delicious life essence. She didn't give Ino time to react; just bit down on her neck, hard.

Bliss.

The blonde remembered being bitten before, but she didn't remember it feeling quite like _this_. She actually moaned, each draught the bluette took heightening her pleasure. It was only when Konan suddenly ripped away that it hurt and she reflexively slapped a hand to her neck to staunch the bleeding, grimacing when that made it hurt even worse.

"Why did you—" She didn't have to finish the question because the answer was crouched at the foot of the bed, eyes a chaotic swirl of crimson and inky black.

"How dare you touch what is mine, Konan," Sasuke Uchiha hissed. The mark on the back of his neck had spread across his face like scales, the pattern frighteningly inhuman. "You have undone my work."

Konan grunted, climbing out of the gap in the wall her passing through it had created. "The girl is not yours, Uchiha." Ino was _hers_, the primal side of her roared. "Let her be."

He snorted. "You know not who or what this human child is. You follow along behind her blindly because you are weak and thus love the weak.

The head of the Tsuki Coven tilted her head curiously, slowly repositioning herself so that she was closer to Ino. "What do you mean?"

The ancient vampire lunged towards her, far more quickly than she could track, but somehow she managed to flip out of the way of his blow, placing herself firmly between him and Ino.

'_How…?'_

"You see? It's the girl. Her blood is strengthening you."

"_Keep him busy, Boss. We're coming." _

"How is that possible?"

It seemed the male sensed her allies' approach as well. "I have no time for this foolishness. Ino, **come with me.**"

"She'll do no such thing," Konan snapped, not even thinking to use _compulsion _to sway the girl.

When Ino didn't move towards Sasuke, the raven-haired male made a disgusted sound and flung his self at her, clawed hands reaching; Konan, though slower, rushed to intervene, managing to knock him aside. Before he could try again, she swept the blonde into her arms and fled the room, headed towards the presence of her companions.

"Ino, I need you to listen to me."

The blonde's arms tightened around her neck and the immortal could hear her heart beating erratically. "Okay…"

"No matter what happens—" Konan tucked and rolled, curling her body around Ino's to minimize exposure as a sweeping kick swept through the spot where her head had been. "—You will _not_ be captured by Sasuke Uchiha. Do you understand me?"

"I—"

"Even if you must leave one of us behind to save yourself, you will do so."

"Konan—"

"Heed my words!"

Behind them, several things shattered and the lights flickered. Behind them, there was a feral roar that rattled Ino to the bone.

"I promise."

Konan's pupils were huge and red rimmed as she gave a curt nod and, suddenly, Ino was being handed off to someone else.

"Hello, Miss Yamanaka," Deidara greeted pleasantly, cradling her like a mother did a child. "How are you feeling now?"

"Um… A bit better." This was too bizarre.

"Very good. Please close your eyes."

She did so without question and there was a huge explosion; the heat of it pressed against her eyelids and she buried her face in the tall vampire's shoulder as the wind whistled by. His weight shifted and it suddenly felt as though they were falling a great distance.

"Whoa, Boss, where're your clothes? You get to have all the fun."

At Anko's query, she opened her eyes a crack: they _were _falling and the ground was becoming alarmingly close. Sakura and a grinning Anko were just above them and Sasori and Konan flanked either side of the blondes.

The bluette had completely forgotten her state of undress in her haste. She accepted Sasori's cloak, donning it with a flourish mid-fall, and twisted to look at her second in command. "Take Ino somewhere safe, Anko. I place my utmost trust in you."

None of them seemed particularly disturbed by the speed of their descent or even the fact that they were hurtling towards the ground in the first place—they might as well have been sitting at the dining table back at the Tsuki Manor having tea.

"I have to babysit because I'm friggin' useless now," the purplette muttered, scratching at the faded marks on her neck. "Aye aye, captain. You're with me, Pinky."

"Alright."

"Apologies, Ino," Deidara said before _releasing her in mid-air_ (!) and pushing her in Anko's direction; he flipped forwards, simultaneously shifting forms into a great lion just before landing. The purplette angled her body to make it more aerodynamic and came close enough to grab the girl, pulling her into a bridal style hold.

She was seriously starting to feel nauseated again.

"Hey, blondie. Glad to see you're in one piece." Their landing barely jarred the vampire and she was air-born again a moment later as Sasuke landed in a crater where they had been moments before. "Christ you're hot." She rested her hand on Ino's forehead and the blonde flinched at the contrast between their skin. "Fuck's sake… Where the hell is Lord Itachi?"

The Tsuki Coven moved as a single unit to surround Anko, Konan standing in the forefront between a majestic lion and a sleek puma with auburn-tinged fur and Sakura watching the purplette's back. The Coven leader nodded and her subordinates pounced on the male; a brawl quickly broke out, roars, snarls, and hisses leaking from the blurred twist of bodies both feline and humanoid.

Konan shifted anxiously. "Take care…"

"Promise me you'll be okay," the blonde demanded.

For a split second, it seemed the immortal was going to reprimand the girl for her forwardness. Instead, she placed a hand over her heart and said very seriously, "You have my word."

Anko chuckled quietly and mumbled something that sounded like, "Fuckin' knew it", before her body blurred and the pair disappeared, Sakura following as best she could.

'_Anko always knows best_.' She knew that now. The purplette had guessed all along that this—whatever this thing between she and Ino was—would happen.

Rounding on the fight that had just broken out, Konan cast off her own humanoid form and joined the fray, sinking sharp claws into Sasuke's flesh. Their attacks only seemed to annoy the male and he swatted them away like a horse would a cloud of flies, his gaze single-mindedly tracking the movement of Anko through the trees. Monstrous wings like giant, fleshy hands speared out from his shoulder blades but, before he could follow suit, a hand around his neck stopped him short and slammed him into the ground with enough force snap a human spine.

Itachi Uchiha has arrived at last.

"This ends now."

Sasuke began to laugh, the sound cruel enough to chill blood. "It has only just begun, brother." He twisted out of the elder Uchiha's grip and flipped backwards a few times to put space between them. Already the gouges from the claws of the big cats had faded to nothing more than thin red lines, but those disappeared completely as his monstrous wings began to melt into pools the colour of decayed flesh that bubbled and oozed across the ground.

Itachi frowned as the puddles began to take shape, stretching and twisting into two dopplegangers of his younger brother. "What have you done?"

"I have learned the true secret of human blood." Sasuke slid into an offensive stance and his clones mirrored his movements. "The old Council created their ridiculous rules with the hopes of weakening our race so that the humans would have a chance. Their cowardly ways have been keeping us in the dark for centuries."

"There is a reason they feared, brother."

"They were fools!" Sasuke spat, his clones' expressions twisting into ugly sneers. "And you are a fool for following blindly in their footsteps. I will end you and take my rightful place at the head of a superior species that does not live in fear of the past."

"We learn from the past so that it may not repeat itself."

_/ __Suddenly weak, Sakura fell onto her backside, her head spinning with what she had just seen. Her chest felt tight and, somehow, she felt… connected to her Coven leader "You… You fell in love with a human."_

_"It began as a fascination just as with that Ino girl," the bluette said curtly. Any weakness that had been in her voice was eradicated by stern disapproval. "P—He knew that our kinds should not mix. You should realize the same before it becomes too late."/_

Konan flinched, unsure as to whether or not it was guilt that made his tone seem knowing.

Sasuke scoffed and his doubles launched themselves forward, actually leaving an after-image due to the speed with which they moved, one kicking at the older Uchiha's feet in an attempt to topple the male while the other threw powerful punches. He evaded them easily, sidestepping one and flipping over the head of the other, his own countering kick to the back of one Sasuke's head managing to shatter the aberration's skull into fragments of bone and a mini-explosion of blood.

He swore. _'Without Ino's blood, they are still too weak.' _Still, the male slashed his fangs across his wrist and his blood peppered the ground, summoning another three clones. "Destroy him."

Itachi sighed. "Brother… I never wanted it to come to this." He really did care for the male. All of the half-hearted attempts to hunt the younger Uchiha and the blind eye he had turned on the horrifying crimes he had committed…

No more.

The older Uchiha's cloak dissolved into a storm of crows that cawed ominously, milling around the combatants in a cloud of dark feathers and sharp beaks. Itachi gestured and the flock dove for the Sasukes, ripping the clones to bloody shreds, felling several trees, and pinning the actual to the trunk of a huge tree; their glamor faded and they became knives with long black blades.

"This will be your funeral pyre, brother." A drop of blood welled up in the corner of his eye once again but it didn't fall. He inhaled deeply, chest swelling as heat built in his throat.

"I will not die like some common cur!" Sasuke snarled, coughing up blood. After all of the years of running… It seemed he would be doing just that. He couldn't even struggle; the tussle with the Tsuki coven had weakened him to a degree and chasing the girl had wasted far too much time. He should have been Feeding, building strength. He should have been more careful; should have taken more of the endless time he had to plan this moment out in full.

Should have. Could have. Would have.

"Goodbye… Sasuke." With a rush of breath, Itachi Uchiha set the entire forest ablaze with an enormous fireball that travelled slowly across the ground, disintegrating everything in its path for miles until it hit a river and was doused; his brother roared in agony as the skin melted from his bones by the unholy heat.

There would be nothing left of him but a memory when the flames died out.

"I have taken care of two birds with one stone." Crimson eyes flicked to Konan, who had returned to her humanoid form, her companions clustered around her. "Your human burden as well."

Wait… He couldn't mean—

"_Konan!" _Anko's panicked voice came, right on cue. _"The forest… It… Ino… She…"_

'_**No!**_**'**

As the bluette took off, the male shrugged his shoulders and turned his back on the remains of his brother. He could not feel remorse—what he did was for the good of his race. Konan would understand that.

"Everything in balance."

**-End Chapter-**

Woo! Getting to the final run. Hold on tight, readers, and let me know what you think :D


	20. Choices

I've had choices since the day that I was born

There were voices that told me right from wrong

If I had listened, no I wouldn't be here today

Living and dying with the choices I've made

-George Jones

**-Choices-**

This entire area would likely take years to recover from the younger Uchiha's execution; plant and animal life alike had been decimated, the fire spreading across the land like a vine on a trellis.

All was still and silent except for the roar of the blaze. There was no movement—nothing.

And that worried Konan.

She couldn't smell anything over the combined scents of smoke and newly-cremated corpses and she certainly couldn't pinpoint any sound that would indicate life over the crackle and hiss of the surrounding inferno.

It was hot even for her and she wiped beads of sweat from her brow as she carefully leaped from tree branch to tree branch of whatever trees weren't on fire—yet, anyway—her eyes trained on the ground.

Anko and Sakura had split up in opposite directions to search, the purplette's expression haunted by guilt. Covered in soot from her near encounter with a giant falling oak she had apologized profusely to her Coven leader, fully prepared for the biggest ass chewing of her life. She had been shocked when Konan had just averted her gaze, too gripped by sadness to even muster a scowl.

Ino was probably dead.

Shaking off the dejecting thought, the immortal concentrated on her surroundings. She thought she could hear something faintly. Ever so faintly.

_Badump…Badump… Ba… Dump…_

* * *

"_Ino…"_

It was so hot—how could it possibly be this hot?

"_Ino…"_

She just wanted to die.

"_INO!"_

What the hell did they want? Couldn't they see she was busy suffering?

Ino curled up into a tighter ball and whimpered, her muscles refusing to work with her.

"_Ino, you must awaken!"_

'_I'm trying…' _It would appear that her throat wouldn't work with her either. How was she going to do this?

"_ANSWER ME!"_

At the roar, the girl finally managed to pry her eyes open and was nearly blinded by the blazing inferno that surrounded her. Her senses came rushing in all at once: she couldn't breathe because of the smoke, her eyes watered from the intense heat, and she couldn't feel anything but the agony of the ankle that had been crushed under a fallen tree. Somehow, the fire hadn't spread to the ditch she had fallen—

_/ Anko stumbled forward, flames singing the ends of her hair. She lost her grip on Ino and the blonde went tumbling to the ground._

_Instantly, flames caught on the surrounding greenery, cutting the two off._

"_Shit. Ino!"_

_There was a huge 'thud' and, suddenly, there was silence. /_

—Had crawled into, actually, in an attempt to preserve her life.

'_What for?' _She thought cynically. _'There's no way I'm getting out of this alive._'

The weight was lifted off her ankle—a small blessing—and blue flashed before her eyes. She had to be hallucinating—a mirage from the heat. It couldn't be…

"Konan?"

All of a sudden, it was cooler. She still had a fever, but it was definitely an improvement. A gentle hand stroked her hair and she leaned into the touch.

"I am here. I promised you."

Her vision was blurry, but she could make out the vague silhouette of the woman hovering over her. She couldn't see it, but she could feel the concern radiating from the female.

"Thank you…"

This wasn't good. The girl was in rough shape; second degree burns razed her skin in random spots and the immortal could hear the damage that the smoke had done to her capillaries with each labored breath.

She could make this better. She still had time.

Carefully, Konan lifted the blonde sat in the stream she had brought her to, resting the girl across her lap so that she was partially submerged in the water. The girl let out a relieved sound and the vampire frowned worriedly. "Ino…"

"What?" Her eyes fluttered open again, glassy and unfocused.

"I need you to drink from me." Straight from the source would give her the strongest benefits.

"Okay…" Her voice was small, weak. It hurt Konan's heart to hear it from the normally strong girl.

"It will make you feel better," she promised, opening her neck at the collarbone with her claws.

"I trust you," Ino murmured. She inhaled the sweet scent of blood, but couldn't find the strength to reach out for the source. The aroma came closer as she was cradled and carefully shifting into an upright position. A gentle hand cupped her cheek and guided her to the sweet nectar; she flicked her tongue up, following a trail of crimson and making the immortal shiver.

Indecent thoughts filled Konan's head despite the battered state of the blonde and she bit through the inside of her cheek to distract herself as Ino began to lap at her freely flowing blood like a cat would milk. Each flick and twirl of the slick pink muscle made the immortal croon happily, pleasure making her forget herself and relax completely. When Ino began to nip at her sensitive throat, she tilted her head to give the girl more access.

"Mm… You must feel *gasp* better…"

The blonde made a soft sound signaling her agreement, lifting her hands to thread her fingers through the immortal's blue tresses as she licked now-unbroken porcelain skin clean and started kissing her way up the pale column of the vampire's neck.

She felt amazing—like she could do anything. Even the pain from her ankle had dulled to a low throb and her skin didn't feel quite so hot. Was this what being a vampire was like? Because she was completely on board now.

Ino made a disappointed sound when she was pulled away from her treat only to moan blissfully as the vampire sank sharp fangs into her throat and began to Feed from her for the second time that night. This time somehow felt even more pleasurable than the first, each gentle pull washing toe-curling pleasure through Ino's system. Was it possible to become addicted to being Fed upon?

That was twice that they had shared blood. Once more and the blonde would be hers—a vampire for the rest of eternity.

The young woman seemed to have other things on her mind now that she was hale and hearty again, if the teasing tongue along the shell of the bluette's ear was anything to go by. "Hey, Konan?"

She shivered at the combination of hot breath and husky voice. "Mm?"

"I'm really happy that all this happened."

Confusion cut through the cloud of desire. "Why would you say such a thing?"

Abduction, being hunted, rejecting Sasuke's blood, nearly burning to death—the blonde had been through hell and back.

"I know this whole thing has been one bad thing after another, but… I met you. And that makes it all worth it. I'm happy when I'm with you."

The vampire was silent, an unusual fluttering sensation in her abdomen. She had never heard such genuine gratefulness before.

"_Boss?"_

Ino made her happy as well. The fact that the girl was here with her, more or less safe, made the bluette feel as though all was right with the world.

"_I found her..."_

"_Oh thank God." _The relief in Anko's voice made the bluette smile slightly.

"I will take you home."

"Home?" Did she mean Ino's own home or the Tsuki Manor? The former meant that, now that the threat had passed, Ino would be on her own. The latter…

Well the latter meant that Konan considered her close, right? Not just some errant fascination; some meaningless lust. It meant that Ino had a place in her heart like Anko or Deidara or Sakura or Sasori.

And that was good.

The vampire looked troubled for a moment. "Ah… Apologies. If you do not wish to go back to the Manor—"

The smile that spread across the blonde's face was dazzling. "I'd love to."

-o-

"Reporting."

"Mitarashi… How fares your leader?"

"She is well, My Lord."

"And yourself?"

"My wounds have healed, sire."

"Good." His tone suggested something else was on his mind. "Has Konan considered Hidan's proposition to be Mated?"

Anko smiled slightly, just barely fighting the urge to laugh. She couldn't very well let the Council find out that the Tsuki Coven was still in contact with the human girl after all. "With all due respect, My Lord, I believe Lady Konan has found someone else."

-o-

It was weird that drawing Konan a bath had become almost second nature to Ino—and weirder still that she felt, well _flattered_, when the immortal had invited her to join her. Honored even.

They were sitting in the hot spring, the bluette dozing on the rocky stair while the blonde behind her massaged her scalp. She hadn't Slept a wink during all the excitement and giving Ino her blood had taken a toll on her because of that.

Ino smiled affectionately at the woman's steady purr of pleasure. '_So cute.' _"Hey, Konan?"

"Mm…"

"Does this mean things will go back to normal?" Even as she asked it, she had to wonder what "normal" really was. With the Tsuki Coven in her life, things were bound to be exciting.

Konan sighed. "Ino…"

She didn't like that tone. "What? What's wrong?"

"After you have been Turned you cannot maintain the life you once did."

"What do you mean?"

"Your friends, your family… Everyone you have come into contact with in the past few years—they would have to forget you completely. They could not learn of our existence."

Ino's heart sank. "I couldn't…" There was no way. Temari and her father… Tayuya and Shikamaru… She couldn't.

In fact, the quiet brunette's name filled her with a crushing sense of guilt. She couldn't go back to him after—She didn't _want _to go back to him, in fact. She loved him, but he had never made her feel the way Konan had.

"What troubles you?" Konan asked, twisting around to lock Ino in her dark gaze.

"I can't leave my life behind." The more she thought about it, the more anxious she felt. There was no way she was willing to leave behind all that she knew. There had to be a way to keep both lives. She could have her cake _and _eat it.

"Ino." Clear blue eyes were wide and her heartbeat was accelerated. She was such an excitable female. "**Be calm.**"

Instantly she felt better and she closed her eyes, slumping slightly. "Thanks…"

"What is on your mind?" The bluette rested a hand on her thigh. "I am here for you."

"I know." And she meant it. "It's just… Isn't there a way I can be a part of both worlds?"

"That would not be advisable."

"Why?"

"You'd be a pain in the ass to keep safe." Ino jumped as Anko strode in, a cotton robe hanging loosely off her shoulders. "Humans are fragile. Why do ya think I was never around you much? No offense."

"Oh…"

"Yeah. And being a vampire and all would make it ridiculously difficult to hang out with your yummy human friends until you got a grip on your self-control about a hundred years from now."

"Our worlds are kept separate for a reason, Ino," Konan said quietly. "You must choose."

* * *

Ino had asked for a month to think… And had gone back to her human life.

Why was she hesitating? For what reason would she even require time to make this decision?

Was there even a decision to be made? Konan could grant her everything her heart desired—and eternal life on top of everything.

Or… Was Konan not good enough?

The saddened pang she felt in her chest infuriated the immortal. Had Ino crawled so far under her skin that she couldn't bear the thought of being without the girl?

The thought was laughable.

…

Still… She couldn't say that she wasn't acutely aware of the blonde's absence. There was something _empty_ about the giant manor despite the comings and goings of her companions.

Could it be that she actually missed the girl?

* * *

"Inooooooooo!" Temari's grip around her neck was going to kill her. "Omigod it's you!"

"Tema… We just saw each other an hour ago."

"Yeah, but God knows I'll take my eyes off of you for five minutes and you'll disappear again."

Guilt. She forced a laugh. "Yeah, sorry about that."

"You had us worried," Tayuya grunted. She crossed her arms, expression annoyed. "You fucking walk off like that again and I'll kill you."

Ah, the height of the red-head's affection. "Yes, ma'am."

Leaving them wasn't an option. These were people who loved her and she loved them.

"Ino." The blonde flinched at the voice. She hadn't spoken to Shikamaru in ages. Just looking at his face reminded her of—

_/_ _There was so much desire—so much raw power—bottled up behind her kiss as she flat out dominated Ino, forgetting herself for a moment and pushing the young woman onto her back, hands braced on either side of the girl's head. /_

Yeah. That.

"Hey, Shika…" He hugged her and her throat constricted guiltily. "Can I talk to you?"

Temari gave her a knowing look and squeezed her hand encouragingly before the couple went off to a quiet corner to speak privately.

'_I hate this.' _She had been M.I.A for ages without warning or contact; had developed feelings she didn't care to look too deeply into for another woman… and now she had shown up to break the young man's heart. Worst. Girlfriend. Ever.

But she had to do this. She couldn't just lead him on forever.

He was as patient and kind as ever, tangling their fingers together as they took a seat across from one another at a picnic bench. "What's on your mind?"

"I… Um… I don't think we should date any more, Shika."

The brunette frowned. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no! I don't want to sound cliché but it's me not you."

He chuckled despite his pained expression. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. We never really _did _anything as a couple—you know?"

She flinched. "I'm sorry…"

"Not your fault."

"I love you, Shika… I'm just not _in _love with you." As soon as she said it, she realized that it was the truth. She loved Shikamaru like a brother, not a lover.

"… Didn't think it would hurt so much to hear something like that." She opened her mouth to apologize again but he waved it off. "Hey, it's cool. Friends?"

Clear blue eyes filled with tears. She didn't deserve him. Still, she blinked them back and squeezed his hand. "Friends."

**Tsuki Manor; 4:00AM**

It had been three days and Konan was going stir crazy.

She wasn't proud of herself, but she had taken to trailing Ino during the day. After Anko kept giving her smug, knowing looks, she had locked herself in her room and gone to Sleep for a while.

Now she didn't know what to do with herself.

With a long-suffered sigh the vampire flipped open her sketch book, just so happening to come to her most recent drawing…

'_Ino.'_

She tilted her head thoughtfully, flipping to the next empty page and beginning anew. Slowly the figure came to life: full lips, the slim column of a throat leading to delicate a collar, supple breasts with beautiful budded nipples, a slender waist, wide hips… The flower that lay between…

Heat surged in the immortal's cheeks and she snapped the book shut with an impatient growl.

She needed to get out of here.

The night air was deliciously cool on her skin as she hurtled through the night, no destination in mind. Not consciously, anyway. Somehow, her feet lead her to Ino's house.

The vampire scaled the roof, soundlessly letting herself into the girl's room through the window.

Ino was asleep, her expression serene. She must have been dreaming because the covers were akimbo and the tank top she wore had ridden up to reveal the pale skin of her abdomen. Konan's eyes drifted lower: the girl was wearing boy shorts, her thighs parted slightly.

The bluette made a soft sound. She wanted to crawl between them and—

Without realizing it, she had moved across the room and crouched between those milky thighs, her clawed hands stroking soft skin.

Her mind went blank as she leaned in and nuzzled the front of the blonde's panties, inhaling the scent on Ino's sex.

'_Gods above…' _

Ino moaned in her sleep, back arching instinctively as the nuzzling became more insistent. When Konan gripped her thighs, forcing them apart, her eyelids fluttered open. "_Ah…!_" Eyes glazed with sleep snapped into focus. "Konan?!"

The immortal ripped her underwear off and buried her face in the girl's private flesh; ecstasy swelled as the vampire began lapping at her sex with long, rough strokes of her tongue, those clawed hands resting possessively on her thighs to prevent the blonde from closing them even as the contact became too much and she squealed into the hand she clapped over her mouth, squirming to simultaneously prolong the contact and end it.

The taste of Ino's sex was intoxicating. If she had to choose between it and her blood, there was really no way she'd be able to.

An orgasm swept through Ino in response to the sudden sensory overload, white hot pleasure curling her toes and forcing her eyes shut. She gripped at the sheets, gasping, "_Konan…!" _as the bluette straightened, her chin wet with the blonde's juices.

She didn't say anything, blanketing her body over Ino's and pushing the girl's legs up, bending her nearly in half. Indigo eyes were almost black as she traced long fingers along the blonde's slit, teasing sensitive flesh.

"Konan… *gasp* How—" Did it matter? She _wanted _this—had for a while. The vampire's gentle touched made her throb, wiping away any pointless questions. "Please…"

Konan nodded and stopped with the teasing, sinking her fingers in as deep as they would go and wriggling her fingertips against the blonde's inner walls, drawing another throaty moan from the girl.

Wonderful. Phenomenal. She was in heaven.

The angle… Was perfect: it lead the powerful thrust of fingers to just the right spot, allowing them to plumb the depths of Ino's sex and bringing her to a second orgasm that made her inner muscles clamp down hard around those long, skilled digits.

Her father was sleeping just down the hall—she couldn't very well release the elated scream that was pushing its way out of her throat. She bit down on her bottom lip to muffle the sound and was shocked when blood ran down her chin.

Even more surprising was the way Konan immediately stopped what she was doing and closed the distance between Ino's lips and her own, cleaning the crimson liquid with a swipe of her tongue before claiming the girl's mouth. The combined taste of her cum and the coppery taste of her own blood was odd, but she couldn't complain with the way the vampire lorded over her body: hands grabbed and kneaded whatever they could reach, tongue dipping and swirling.

When the bluette pulled away, Ino felt lightheaded. A million questions cycled through her rattled mind, but it finally settled on one: "Stay with me?"

The bluette pulled her closer, wrapping her arms around the young woman's waist. She didn't like this—didn't like not knowing what the blonde would choose, didn't like not being completely in control of her thoughts and feelings. Being here now was torture.

"For as long as you wish."

* * *

Ino's nights went like that from then on: Konan would visit her in the wee hours of the night and satisfy her to the point of exhaustion before cuddling her until she woke up the next morning and they parted ways outside of the college.

She never asked for anything in return, never tried to put a label on… Whatever it was that was going on between them. The quiet bluette seemed content to spend her free hours lingering about and taking a part of Ino's daily life.

They went shopping together. Konan helped her study and answered her questions about the world. She walked Ino to class and patiently put up with the girl's crazy friends.

A perfect gentlewoman—a perfect… _Girlfriend_ even.

The rest of the Coven was mysteriously absent—even Anko—though their mistress frequently came and went between both worlds. It seemed that the death of Sasuke Uchiha had brought about a wave of activity in the vampire community and her visits became more scattered.

Until finally they stopped completely.

It had been a week since Ino had seen any sign of Konan or her Coven members and it made her feel restless. Where could the woman have gone?

She knew, of course, that the immortal had more important things to do than babysit the human she had actually become close friends with, but that didn't change the fact that Ino missed the stoic bluette's presence.

Konan had said that she couldn't be a part of both worlds… Perhaps the vampire had decided that enough was enough.

Perhaps her time to make a decision had run out.

**-End Chapter-**


	21. Our Time is Running Out

I'm think I'm drowning

Asphyxiated

I wanna break the spell

That you've created

…

You will be the death of me.

-Muse

**-Our Time is Running Out-**

"There's a way to cure her."

"Speak."

"You won't like it."

Konan closed her eyes.

Time was running out. She could hear the girl's heart growing weaker and weaker with each passing day. She couldn't even bring herself to visit anymore—the thought of losing Ino made her sick to the stomach.

"I cannot Turn her, Anko. She has not voiced the desire to be like us."

"I know that. There's _another_ way."

"What is it?"

"You won't like it," she repeated.

"It does not matter," the bluette said seriously. So long as Ino was okay…

"You'll have to stay away from her. Possibly forever."

"…" Now that she didn't think she could abide by. "If there is no other way..." Even as she said it, she knew there weren't many options left. It was do or die. Literally.

The last time she had seen the girl…

/ _Dr. Noubu tutted and peered nearsightedly over his glasses at Ino's chart. The hospital was still cold, still way too sterile, but it reminded Ino of her humanity._

_And after her run-in with the supernatural, humanity was a comforting thing._

_Her stomach roiled at the memory of drinking blood even as her salivary glands kicked into overdrive at the thought of drinking some more._

_The older man cleared his throat, made even more timid than usual by the presence of the striking blue-haired woman leaning cross-armed against the closed patient room door. Somehow, she was even more intimidating than the usual sandy-blonde hooligan that accompanied her, despite not having said a word the entire check-up. "Miss Yamanaka, it appears your heart has been getting a bit worse. Have you been suffering from an increase in stress recently? Any change in level of activity or diet?"_

_A "yes" to all those things, now that she thought about it._

"_How bad is it?"_

_His eyes flicked nervously to Konan before he responded, "We can't really tell right now. After your blood test, we'll have a better idea, but we'll need to send a sample to the lab for a more extensive look."_

_Blood tests—somehow, she didn't mind them as much as she had before._

_As the nurses came in and tied a tourniquet around her upper arm, she felt Konan tense and sent her a reassuring smile. When the needle pricked her skin the vampire straightened, expression murderous._

"_I-is there something wrong?" one of the nurses asked._

'_**Mine**__.' Konan forced herself to relax. Just barely. "It's nothing." _/

"You have my attention."

"This is the last blood Exchange. You have to give her your blood, but you can't drink from her afterwards. The blood will extend her life expectancy by shit tons without Turning her."

Simple, right? The only problem was… she had no self-control when it came to Ino. Her fangs ached at the thought of drinking from the blonde again.

Anko smiled sadly. "It's up to you, Boss. You're the only one who can feed her without her getting sick again."

She knew what she had to do.

"_Sasori."_

"_My Lady?"_

It almost literally pained her to say, _"Contact the Council and tell Lord Itachi that I accept Councilman Hidan's offer."_

He didn't comment but she could _feel _the red-head's shock through their connection. Like a proper subordinate, he merely projected, _"Yes, My Lady." _And that was the end of it.

For that, she was eternally grateful.

* * *

Ino started awake—someone was standing at the foot of her bed.

After her eyes had adjusted, she saw that it was—

"Konan…" The vampire nodded slowly, the golden flecks in her iris glowing in the darkness. "I haven't seen you in a long time…" She shifted, drawing back the covers and patting the spot beside her. "Join me?" The genuine excitement in the blonde's face weakened the immortal's resolve. She moved to join the girl and was instantly latched onto. "I missed you…"

The bluette flinched. Ino was making this incredibly difficult for her. Still, she couldn't help but wrap her arms around the girl, taking in her scent. "I… Missed you as well."

"Where did you go?"

Hiding with her tail between her legs… How pathetic. The immortal made an irritated sound and steeled herself. She couldn't get caught up in Ino again. She had to put distance between the two of them—both physically and emotionally. "I cannot come to see you any longer."

"… Why is that?"

"I am to be Mated."

Ino's expression went from excited to devastated in three seconds flat and she released her grip on the vampire. Hearing that… Hurt. A lot. Her heart felt as though a giant hand had reached into her chest and squeezed it, claws sinking into tender muscle and rending it like a hot knife through butter. She had thought—most likely foolishly—that the female had felt the way she had.

All the time they had spent together. All the moments she had felt connected to the immortal. All those times they had—

"Why…"

"'Why'?"

"I thought you hated Hidan."

"The Councilman is of pure blood. He is a more than adequate match," Konan said flatly.

"But do you love him?"

'_Love…' _She scoffed. "I love no one."

Ouch. Again. The sting faded to a dull throb and the blonde rested a hand above her breast, her heart threatening to fall out of her chest cavity. God damn it hurt.

How was it possible for anything to hurt this much?

Konan's mask was firmly in place, an unreadable façade of icy blankness. She could practically feel the hurt rolling off of the slumped girl in waves but she couldn't comfort her.

This was for the best—for both of them. And for her Coven.

Their worlds were too different to mesh.

"You used me…" Ino mumbled, barely audible despite the vampire's superior hearing.

"I… Did what was necessary." _'To make you happy,' _she finished silently. They had both been happy _together _and that was wrong.

"You _bitch_!"

Konan allowed the girl to strike her across the face. It was the least that she could do. The weak blows about her torso from balled up fists were allowed as well. It was only when she felt wetness dot her skin and smelled the salt of tears that she raised a hand to stop the blonde. Ino was trembling, her bangs shielding her down-cast eyes from view.

The girl didn't resist when a long finger hooked under her chin and tilted her face upwards.

"Do not cry." That voice… So gentle. So concerned. It belied her complete lack of expression. "You are too beautiful to cry."

Her face was close—too close. The familiarity of the situation brought lust; all of that hurt and anger surged to meet it and she pulled the vampire in, kissing her with bruising force.

This was different than any of the kisses they had shared before: any gentleness and affection was gone. All that remained was carnal desire and the anguish of a broken heart.

And Konan responded in kind, their teeth actually clicking together as she ravished the girl's willing oral cavern. Ino whined as her hair was yanked and her head pulled back to reveal the pale column of her neck. The vampire's hot breath fanned out over her skin and she shuddered eagerly, expecting the sweet pain of fangs breaking her flesh.

But the immortal didn't bite.

Instead Konan pinned the blonde on her back, claws marking the girl's abdomen with long red welts as she shoved her shirt upwards so that she could have access to her bare body. Rosy nipples were nipped almost hard enough to break the skin, those claws dragging downwards and drawing blood. The sting was soothed by the pass of a warm, wet tongue.

The bluette went still, her original intent surfacing through the haze of lust that had descended over her mind. She wet her lips and swallowed hard, partially to regain control of herself and partially to wash the taste of Ino's blood from her mouth. The intoxicating smell of the blonde's sex hit her with the force of a truck and her fangs ached, but she forced herself to pull back.

As she pushed her sleeve back to reveal her wrist, clear blue eyes latched on to the newly uncovered flesh and the immortal swore she heard the human approximation of a hiss.

Well… That was interesting.

Konan bit down, filling her mouth with blood. The moment she disengaged, Ino smashed into her again, sealing her lips over the vampire's and eagerly gulping down the sweet nectar. When the last drop was gone, the blonde's tongue flicked over sharp canines.

She wanted Konan to bite her; she pulled away, baring her throat submissively and panting, "Konan… Please…" Was that her voice? She couldn't control her body. She knew what that last bite would mean, but it didn't matter at that very moment. The mere thought of fangs in her neck made her body become slick and wet with excitement.

The immortal frowned, thoughts warring with desires. What Ino thought she wanted now, she might hate Konan later for giving to her.

"My Lady… Use me as you will."

Konan sucked in a breath, completely floored for the first time in centuries. The request…

Something dark and primal twisted in her stomach and she snarled, closing her fingers around Ino's throat a little too tightly and lifting her from the bed to slam her into the wall.

"_What's going on?" _Anko questioned, sensing the flare of untamed energy. _"Konan?"_

Fuck the Council. Fuck the humanity in the blonde. Fuck pleasing others—the bluette was going to act on what was best for _her _and her alone for the first time since becoming the head of her Coven.

The human in question didn't even seem afraid despite the iron grip that cut off her air supply or the blood-red glare of the immortal looming over her. Her expression was curious—challenging even. As though she were egging Konan on.

It made the beast within roar.

Konan's fangs dropped and she sank them into Ino's throat as she released her grip, keeping the blonde pinned against the wall with the press of her body alone. While the girl moaned and writhed, sweet pleasure mixing with delicious agony, the vampire nudged her thighs apart and buried her fingers in wet warmth, thrusting hard and fast. Her claws tore at the girl's insides, but the wounds healed almost immediately as the immortal's final Exchange began to rearrange the very fabric of the Ino's genetic makeup.

If the blonde was to hate her, so be it.

She could hear the human male in the room down the hall shift and awaken, but that didn't matter—his memory would be erased anyway. All that mattered was the prey she had pinned down and completely vulnerable to her every whim.

The blonde did not belong in this world—any female who could keep up with each thrust of the immortal's fingers and still spread herself wider, silently begging for more, was too good for the likes of a human. She cried out in ecstasy as she was brought to the edge of release, eyes rolling back…

Ino was hers. The sentiment made her primal side thrum with pleasure.

With a final flick of her tongue to seal the wounds, Konan curled her fingers all the way inside of Ino, wringing out every last drop of pleasure along with a shrill scream as the young woman came, hard.

"_Konan, what have you done?" _Anko demanded. _"Answer me!"_

The bluette ignored her second in command, scooping up the body of the prostrate Fledgling and letting herself out into the night.

"_Sasori."_

"… _My Lady. Anko is in a frenzy. What has happened?"_

"_Pay her no heed. Contact the Council again. Tell Lord Itachi that I have found my Mate."_

Again, she could feel his shock and, again, he made no comment. _"As you wish."_

Later, she would be back to erase all indication that Ino Yamanaka had ever existed.

And the girl would be hers and hers alone.

**-End Chapter-**


	22. Epilogue

Tale as old as time

Tune as old as song

Bittersweet and strange

Finding you can change

Learning you were wrong

Certain as the sun

Rising in the east

Tale as old as time

Song as old as rhyme

Beauty and the Beast

-Beauty and the Beast

**-Epilogue-**

The forbidden wing of the Tsuki Manor hadn't seen so much activity in a long time. Down the dark hall existed a black, barred door sealed shut by a small slip of paper bearing an elegant, complicated pattern in thick silver ink—and behind it a feral blonde Fledgling was chained by her wrists to the wall furthest from the door.

More for her own protection than anything else.

The Council had been less than pleased with the latest addition to the Tsuki Coven, but she had proven herself easily and the offense had been overlooked—much to Councilman Hidan's disdain.

The last of the Yamanaka bloodline was indeed strong.

She sat on a cot, legs drawn up, brooding. As they say, "Hell hath no fury…"

Anko was the only one who could go in there without being verbally mauled and she did so daily, bringing news of the blonde's friends and family—of the world that had been ripped from her.

Konan had simultaneously saved her life and ended it all in one night.

"Don't be so hard on the Boss Lady," Anko said quietly, actually serious for a rare moment. She was glad Ino would be around for quite a bit longer, even if it meant that the blonde would be furious for a few decades or so.

After all, the choice had been taken out of her hands.

Ino growled distastefully and the noise startled her. She was still unaccustomed to the range of sounds that were now available to her. "I will never forgive her."

"Never say never," Anko said cheerfully. "You willing to behave now or do I have to keep you locked in here?"

The opposite wing was still under reconstruction from the last time the Fledgling had been set free; she and Konan had gotten into a "friendly argument" that had destroyed half of the Manor. Oddly enough, the bluette didn't seem at all bothered by the shambles that her haven had been left in and had even volunteered to begin unsealing the forbidden wing so that her Coven members could use the space.

And if that wasn't shocking enough the immortal had actually taken to mingling with the others on game nights, going so far as to eating pizza and taking a (hesitant) part in their _Smash Bros_ tournaments.

If Anko didn't know any better, she'd say the world was ending. But she did know better. The astute purplette knew that her leader cast longing, inquisitive looks to the west wing every so often—akin to a pooch that had lost its master.

Or in this case, its mistress.

There was a spring in her step that hadn't been there before and even her usual icy demeanor had thawed a bit.

"She loves you, kiddo." There was no other explanation.

The blonde snorted, the memory of the night a month or so before still fresh in her mind. "She loves no one."

"You'd be surprised." The aforementioned bluette was just a floor above them, she sensed. Ino did too if the way she bristled was anything to go by. Konan was her Sire and Ino would always have a strong connection to the immortal—whether she liked it or not. "Give her a chance, hn?"

Ino grunted dismissively, but held out her hands to be unshackled.

The two returned to the family room together: it was game night and the others were sprawled out in front of the TV sans their leader. Deidara let out a whoop as he caught sight of the females, grinning from ear to ear. "Ah, my old rival."

"Bring it on," Ino returned, unable to stop her own answering smile.

"Only after I'm done with him." Sakura tossed the Fledgling a controller and she caught it easily, falling onto the couch between the two.

This was her home now.

The last member of the Coven entered the room and the air was suddenly thick with tension, all eyes going to the rigid blonde.

Even if she attacked the bluette (again), they had been instructed not to interfere; Konan insisted that she was at fault here and would take any punishment that came her way.

Indigo orbs met cobalt ones and the lights flickered ominously, the temperature in the room dropping substantially.

"Ino," Konan greeted at last, shattering the heavy silence. She seemed unperturbed by the malice being directed at her. "You look...well."

Those dark eyes raked down Ino's body and she couldn't say she disliked the hunger in them. As angry as she was, she couldn't fight the intense physical attraction she felt for the immortal—it was a primal, undeniable part of her being. Her fangs ached and her muscles were wound up tight, but she didn't fly off the handle like she wanted to. "Hmph."

Something hard and black flew across the room and Konan snatched it out of the air without thinking, blinking a moment later when she realized it was a controller.

"Play," Ino commanded.

The leader of the Tsuki Coven didn't bristle as she once would have. Her eyes did not flash dangerously and the poor fool who dared to command her was not removed bodily from the Manor. Instead, she chuckled and all at once the tension dispelled.

"As you wish."

There was a Beast within the beauty that could never truly be tamed but the purplette knew that, eventually, Ino would forget her hostility.

After all, they had all the time in the world.

**-Fin-**

Phew. 20 long chapters later and here we are. As promised, I completed this fic. I didn't want to do the usual "happily ever after" but I did insert a bit of hope in there. Thanks so much to my loyal readers who never gave up hope and stuck it out until the end :D As for my next multi-chaptered work: I think I'm going to give another fandom some love. So follow me to the wonderful realm of Poké-fics (the current working title is _Conquering the Champion; _another yuri)~ Or, if you're not into that sort of thing, don't miss me too much!

-**Distraction**


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